Marcos orders PNR reconstruction

[Lee]

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MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in its long history, the Philippine National Railways is undergoing reconstruction, thanks to President Marcos.

In a speech before the Transport Logistics Forum held at the World Trade Center, PNR chairman Michael Ted Macapagal said his agency is hard at work on the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), which will run from Clark Air Base in Pampanga to Calamba City in Laguna, a distance of 147 kilometers, at a cost of P873.62 billion.

The forum was sponsored by the Italian, German, French, and Spanish Chambers of Commerce.

Macapagal said once the project is completed, five years hence, PNR would be able to transport 800,000 passengers every day. Travel time from one end of the line to the other will be cut in half, from eight to four hours. The trip will even be shorter for express train passengers.

He added NSCR is only a start. Having set the project in motion, President Marcos now wants to begin construction of the North Long Haul, the South Long Haul, the Panay Railway, North Mindanao Railway, and San Mateo Railway, all spanning a total of 1,024 kilometers.

Of the five projects, the North Long Haul is the most ambitious. It will connect NSCR to Poro Point Free Port Zone, Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte and Port Irene and Lal-lo International Airport in Cagayan.

The chairman said President Marcos regards the railway projects as the country’s framework for economic development.

All PNR trains run on diesel fuel. The chairman said they will be replaced with  a fleet of 60 electric multiple units, which will be par with world standards in terms of safety and comfort.

“The NSCR is long overdue,” he said. “While other countries transport people and goods by train, the Philippines depends on cars and trucks to achieve that purpose, which is why we have these daily traffic snarl-ups that cost us, according to studies, the equivalent of $25 billion a year.”

To give way to the construction project, PNR has stopped train operation from Alabang to Laguna. It is set to stop all operations in Metro Manila also. That’s why the LTFRB, prodded by PNR, is expeditiously approving franchise applications for additional buses in affected areas.

 

 

Marcos orders PNR reconstruction (msn.com)