A Report on the Recent Development of Railways in the Philippines

After decades of underinvestment and neglect, the Philippines' railway network is still
undergoing a rebirth. The rapid urbanization and digitisation of the world's population is driving
up demand for passenger and freight capacity, which in turn is influencing the future
development of the rail industry's infrastructure, services, and systems.

Although the adoption of innovative technologies will have significant, positive effects—making
rail services more dynamic, effective, and environmentally friendly—the Philippine rail industry
must be able to meet the technical, safety, and security challenges posed by this development.
In response, the Philippine government adopted a hybrid policy for financing, managing, and
operating significant, complex investments in order to guarantee the development of long-
lasting, high-quality infrastructure, particularly in the railway industry.

As of this year 2022, the most well-known railway project of the Philippine National Railways is
the North-South Commuter Railway System. This is among the major infrastructure projects of
the Philippine government's 'Build! Build!

A key initiative of the government's "Build Build Build" Program is the North-South Commuter
Railway System. The project is currently the biggest railway undertaking in the Philippines. The
Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank jointly fund the
NSCR. The project is essential to the government's plan to revive the nation's rail transportation
tradition.

Once fully operational, the entire North-South Commuter Railway line will reduce travel time
between Clark International Airport and Calamba from more than 4 hours to less than 2 hours.
The 163-kilometer railway system will have 35 stations and will serve 27 cities and
municipalities in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces. The entire North-South
Commuter Railway is being constructed in three segments: Malolos-Clark, Tutuban-Malolos,
and Solis-Calamba.

Beginning in February 2019, work on the Tutuban-Malolos segment is already more than
halfway done as of June 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malolos-Clark segment's
construction got under way. The Malolos-Clark Railway Project is currently under construction
thanks to the Department of Transportation and Philippine National Railways' tenacious efforts.
The first airport railway express service in the nation to Clark International Airport is featured in
this segment. The railway’s southern segment–the South Commuter Railway Project–will
connect Metro Manila to Calamba, and will have 18 elevated and at-grade stations.

The government's efforts to give Filipino commuters comfort and convenience within Metro
Manila and neighboring provinces will reach another milestone with the signing of the South
Commuter Railway Project loan agreement between ADB and the Government of the
Philippines in June 2022.

Over 59,000 jobs will be created during construction of the entire North South Commuter
Railway, and over 4,600 jobs will be created once it begins to run. It will boost economic growth
through supplier contracts and open up new job opportunities through improved connectivity
in the area. Moreover, the project will also help advance the Philippine government's climate
change action plan. By 2040, it is anticipated that more than 600,000 passengers will travel
daily on trains, reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. The Philippine government is
steadfast in its pursuit of realizing the goal of a more comfortable life for every Filipino.

Aside from this, here are some of the key rail projects in the works expected to be finished on
or before 2030.

Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7)

Expected date of completion: 2022 (partial), 2023 (full operations)

Cost: PHP 77 billion

The project entails the construction of a 22-kilometer asphalt road from the Bocaue
Interchange of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to the intermodal terminal in Tala, as well as
a 23-kilometer elevated railway line with 14 stations from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, to
MRT-3 North Avenue in Quezon City. In order to relieve congestion on EDSA, the road
component will redirect northern provincial bus operations to San Jose Del Monte. On August
2, 2022, 60% of the project was finished. The line was supposed to partially open in December
2022 and begin full operations in 2023, but instead it will begin "demonstration runs" by 2023
and begin full operations in 2024–2025.

Subic-Clark Railway

Expected date of completion: 2024

Cost: PHP 50.03 billion

The Subic-Clark Railway Project is a part of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Luzon System
Development Framework. It offers initial freight and cargo service between the Subic Bay
Freeport Zone and the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone, connecting Subic Port with
Clark International Airport and other significant economic hubs in Central Luzon, particularly
New Clark City, and forming an integrated logistics hub for the development of Central Luzon as
a new growth region. By 2022, it is anticipated that project procurement will be completed, and
then implementation will begin.
Metro Manila Subway (MMS)

Expected date of completion: 2025 (partial), 2027 (full operations)

Cost: PHP 488.48 billion (revised as of 2021)

Previously dubbed as the Mega Manila Subway, it would arguably be the first Filipino attempt
at creating an underground railway system. The first phase of the line is slated to run between
Valenzuela and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), spanning over 27 kilometers in
all. Apparently, the subway was proposed as early as the 1970s, but priority was given for the
construction of the elevated LRT-1. It was once more proposed in the 2014 Metro Manila
Dream Plan, after which it was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) Board by September 2017. As of February 2022, progress has reached 30.55 percent
completion rate.

Makati Intra-city Subway

Expected date of completion: 2025

Cost: PHP 192 billion

The Makati Intra-city Subway or (MkTr) is an 11-kilometer (6.8 mi) under-construction

Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT-4)

Expected date of completion: 2028

Cost: PHP 59 billion

The MRT4 project will create a fully elevated rail mass transit network to serve Metro Manila's
eastern region, which includes the province of Rizal's densely populated areas. The MRT4 is a
high-capacity urban public transportation system that will help relieve the traffic jam on Ortigas
Avenue. It will have 11 stations, 2 provisional stations (for the future), and a barrier-free design
to promote accessibility for all people. The project will minimize air pollution and greenhouse
gas emissions, increase public transportation that is dependable, quick, economical, and safe,
and cut commute times from Taytay to the Ortigas Central Business District (CBD) from one to
three hours by vehicle to less than 30 minutes by rail. The Ortigas CDB, Pasig city, the
neighboring Rizal province, and eastern Manila will all continue to experience rapid economic
growth and inclusive urban development as a result.

Mindanao Railway

Expected date of completion: 2022 (partial – first phase), 2023 (full operations – first phase)

Cost: PHP 81.68 billion (first phase)

It is intended to build 2,278 kilometers (1,415 miles) of track for the Mindanao Railway over the
course of ten phases. It is designed to link important cities, seaports, and economic zones,
enabling quicker freight and passenger transportation. Tagum City, Davao City, and Digos City
are connected by a stretch of the first phase that is 100 kilometers long. By 2022, it will be
partially operational between Panabo and Carmen in Davao del Norte, and by 2024, it is
anticipated to be fully operational. Construction on the second phase (extending to Butuan)
and third phase is scheduled to continue into 2030 if the project is sustained to complete the
full proposed line (completing the loop system).

Overall, a budget of Php. 113.99 billion ($1.99 billion) has been proposed by the Philippine
government, led by Mr. Ferdinand Marcos, for the modernization of the nation's railway system
in 2023. This amount is nearly five times the 2022 budget of Pesos 23.12 billion, and it reflects
the Marcos administration's policy to increase investment in railway, metro, and light rail
projects as the most affordable means of transporting people and goods.