The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is seeking a revamp of the feasibility study for the Mindanao Railway Project, a major infrastructure initiative envisioned to connect key provinces in the southern Philippines.
“We need to finalize the Mindanao Railway Project study. The original study proposed using diesel-powered trains. However, we should consider adopting a more modern and eco-friendly train system,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
“Our consultants are currently evaluating various options,” he said.
Bautista said the study would be completed within the Marcos administration.
The Transportation chief earlier said the agency was coordinating with the Department of Finance in seeking alternative funding sources such as official development assistance (ODA) from other foreign governments and international financial institutions after China withdrew its financial support for the project.
The P81.6-billion Phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway Project has a length of 100.2 kilometers, consisting of eight stations. Once operational, the rail line is expected to serve 122,000 passengers daily and reduce travel time from Tagum City to Digos City to an hour from three hours.
Once the entire Mindanao Railway Project is completed, the 1,544-kilometer rail system will connect key provinces such as Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Butuan, Surigao and Malaybalay and pump prime Mindanao’s economic boom.
The massive project, the first railway system outside Luzon, is one of the big-ticket infrastructure projects of the former Duterte administration under the “Build, Build, Build” program.
It is designed to help improve inter-island connectivity and boost economic development in Mindanao.
The Marcos administration appears committed to restarting the project, with a renewed focus on environmental sustainability.
The success of the revamped feasibility study will be crucial in determining the project’s timeline, funding and its impact on Mindanao’s economic trajectory.
Residents and businesses across the region are eagerly awaiting further developments, hopeful that a modern and eco-friendly railway system will usher in a new era of connectivity and prosperity in the south.
