PH's first bullet train
Manila, Philippines --- The country will soon have its first bullet train after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) announced that Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has expressed its intention to finance the $3-billion Clark-Metro Manila project.
Another project, the $1.23-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) that will run from San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to SM North in Quezon City, will be financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Both projects will be built under the BOT scheme.
The plan for the bullet train is to construct the new railways between the lanes of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) because an earlier proposal to construct it parallel to the railway was scrapped due to some technical problems.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) said the project will be called "Express Airport Trains" which will have at least three stops in Metro Manila.
CIAC said that using the proposed trains, it will only take about 45 minutes to transport passengers from Clark to Manila, and vice versa.
The planned stopovers are Balintawak or near TriNoMa or SM North in Quezon City; Manila like Dimasalang or University of Sto. Tomas; and Makati at Buendia Avenue.
Meanwhile, NEDA is re-evaluating the MRT 7 project after the previous approval had lapsed and some changes in terms and conditions have been made.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said that the proposal for the mass rail transit between North Avenue in Quezon City and Bulacan was already submitted to the NEDA- Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC).
The re-evaluation was needed because under the implementing rules and regulations of the government's BOT Law, any changes in proposed project shall again be re-evaluated by the NEDA-ICC.
NEDA said that since JICA decided to fund the project, the government can expect the continuous construction of the rail once started.
The initial construction will be put up in Barangay Tala in San Jose Del Monte. The new MRT line will run through Fairview, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City Memorial Circle, and North EDSA.
The final station will be constructed in Paramount in Quezon City, in front of SM North EDSA and the Triangle of North Manila (TriNoMa) mall.
NEDA added that the new lane will be connected to the now operational LRT-MRT Closing Loop Interconnection Project.
It added that once the MRT-7 Line is completed, the Paramount Station will be a Mega Rail Station.