Philippines taps World Bank to assess rail proposals

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is asking the World Bank for technical assistance to determine how to best finance the new railways that the government plans to build around Metro Manila.

In a speech, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the government is gaining ground in its push to construct the Metro Rail Transit Line 10 (MRT-10), Line 11 (MRT-11) and the Light Rail Transit Line 6 (LRT-6).

“We have asked the International Finance Corp. of the World Bank to provide us with technical assistance on how best to proceed with the submitted unsolicited proposals for MRT-10, MRT-11 and LRT-6,” Bautista said.

The MRT-10 will run for 22.5 kilometers made up of 16 stations above major thoroughfares like Commonwealth Avenue and C5 Road. The railway will run from Quezon City all the way to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, with proposed interchanges with MRT-7 and LRT-2.

In an earlier design of the project, the MRT-10 was estimated to cost P112.26 billion. However, Bautista said a new proposal to build the railway is pegged at P92.58 billion.

In April, Bautista confirmed that the DOTr received an unsolicited proposal to put up the MRT-11 that will run between Quezon City and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

The MRT-11 will start in Balintawak and terminate in San Jose del Monte, providing commuters with another transit option in traversing the route.

Under the Duterte administration, Aerorail Integrated Transport Services Inc. submitted a similar proposal, amounting to P81.79 billion, to construct the MRT-11.

Under Aerorail’s version, MRT-11 will pass through some of the major roads in the northern side of Metro Manila, namely, Novaliches, Quirino Highway and Zabarte Road. It will also feature an interchange facility that will enable passengers to transfer to the LRT-1.

Meanwhile, the LRT-6 will serve as an extension of the LRT-1 up to Cavite. In the new design of the railway, it will stretch for a total of 23.5 kilometers running through large-scale subdivisions in the cities of Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Parañaque.

At present, the Light Rail Manila Corp. is extending the LRT-1 all the way to Bacoor, Cavite, as it wants to serve commuters living in the south of Metro Manila.

Bautista said the DOTr is committed to getting new rail projects started given the rising demand for mass transit around Metro Manila.