DOTr to start phase 1 of Bicol railway in Q1

The biggest rail project Philippine National Railway (PNR) Bicol Project is finally moving forward with construction works for Package 1 set to start in the first quarter of 2022, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said in a report by Manila Times.

The DoTr made the announcement after the contract signing for the P142 billion PNR Bicol Project's first 380 kilometers from Banlic, Calamba to Daraga, Albay.

Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said the DoTr will also now secure the loan financing for the PNR Bicol Package 1 contract.

Batan said the DoTr will be requesting the Department of Finance (DoF) for project funding through an official development assistance loan from China.

"Unlike other projects funded by other development lenders, the PNR Bicol Package 1 project had its construction contract signed first before the funding from China was secured," Batan noted.

So far, the PNR Bicol Package 1 at P142 billion is one of DoTr's big-ticket contracts.

Batan said the Transportation department's other major projects are the North-South Commuter Railway System, followed by the Metro Manila Subway Project.

For his part, Transportation Undersecretary for Finance Giovanni Lopez said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade does not want any delay in the implementation of rail projects amid the pandemic.

The DoTr and the PNR eye the completion of the Package 1's construction in 2024, with the start of operations in the third quarter of 2025.

Meanwhile, the remaining PNR Bicol contract packages are set for completion between 2024 and 2026. The entire PNR Bicol line is scheduled to go online by 2027.

Once operational, PNR Bicol will have a total length of 560 kilometers and 35 stations.

It will run from Manila through Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Sur and then to Albay. It will have an extension line in Sorsogon and a branch line in Batangas.

With a design speed of 120-160 kilometers per hour (kph) for passenger trains and 80-100 kph for freight trains, PNR Bicol is expected to reduce travel time between Manila and Legazpi City in Albay, from the present 14 to 18 hours to just six hours, using regular commuter trains, and four hours and 30 minutes using the line's express trains.

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