Railway school to open in June

Five government transport agencies, led by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), joined hands with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) to establish the first Philippine Railway Academy.

DOTC officials and four of its attached agencies – the Philippine National Railways (PNR), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Metrostar Express (MRT3), and the North Luzon Railway Corp. (NLRC) – signed yesterday a memorandum of agreement with PUP officials, led by its acting president Dr. Dante Guevarra.

The academy, which will be inside PUP’s Manila campus, is expected to open its doors by June. The DOTC said there was a need to establish an institution dedicated to conducting research on rail transport.

The signing of agreement was witnessed by Speaker Jose de Venecia, a proponent of the government’s railway development projects, particularly the ongoing construction of the Northrail being spearheaded by the NLRC.

De Venecia also awarded 26 government scholarships to PUP students who will be among the first 100 students expected to go to the academy.

It was learned that the DOTC shelled out the P10 million for the initial operation of the academy for school year 2007-08.

Aside from the Northrail, the DOTC, through the PNR, is also pursuing efforts to rehabilitate the railway’s south line. – Rainier Allan Ronda, Jonalyn Saplala, Chrysalis Francisco