Manila, January 20 (China News Network) Comprehensive news: The Philippine Ministry of Transport issued a statement on January 18 saying that Transportation Minister Dugard signed a contract with a total investment of 142 billion pesos (about $2.8 billion) in a joint venture with three Chinese railway companies on the 17th, which is the "largest single railway contract" in the history of the Philippines. The three Chinese companies signed the contract are China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Third Bureau Group Co., Ltd. and China Railway Engineering Design Consulting Group Co., Ltd., which will design and build the first phase of the South Line long-distance railway project (i.e. the Philippine National Railways Meter Bone Line Project, PNR Bicol) for the Philippine National Railways Corporation.
Huang Xilian, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, said on social media on the 18th that the contract is "another milestone in Sino-Philippine cooperation and friendship." The $2.8 billion railroad is one of the flagship projects under President Duterte's "Build And Build" program and the most expensive G-to-G project involving our two countries to date.
According to Huang Xilian, the 380-kilometer railway will connect Calamba in La Figuna province with Legaspi in Albay and will shorten the travel time from the current 12 hours to 4 hours. When the railway is operational, it will serve 14.6 million passengers a year. It is expected to directly create more than 10,000 construction jobs every year, drive economic growth along the route, and drive hundreds of thousands of jobs in related fields.
Huang Xilian wrote: Imagine in your mind, after a wonderful journey with whale sharks and fireflies, you eat a delicate breakfast, then wave goodbye to The Ma Rong Volcano and take a 160km/h train. Quezon National Park and Lucena come into view, and soon you'll pass by the Seven Lakes of San Pablo. After a total of 4 hours, your tour ends in the highly industrialized Calamba. I wish this vision to be realized as soon as possible and the project to proceed smoothly!
According to the Philippine GMA News Network, the first phase of the Philippine Railway Andmi Bone Line project plans to build a passenger and freight dual-use railway, and the Chinese company will be responsible for the design, construction and mechanical and electrical equipment configuration of the railway.
The Philippine Ministry of Transport said that after the completion of the railway, it will connect 39 cities and towns in 4 provinces in the Philippines. The contract includes the construction of 23 stations, 230 bridges, 10 tunnels and the construction of a 70-hectare main train terminal - warehouse in San Pablo, Neihu Province.
According to the Philippine Ministry of Transport, CREC JV, a joint venture between China Railway Corporation, is listed on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, ranking 35th in the Fortune Global 500 and fifth in the 2021 China Top 500 companies.
Once fully operational, the railway will reduce the journey from Metro Manila to Mikone from the current 12 hours (road) to a minimum of 4 hours. Passenger railways are designed for speeds of 160 km/h and freight railways for 100 km/h.
During construction, the project is expected to create 5,000 jobs per year.
The Philippine Department of Transportation said the Philippine National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) approved the financing of the project through a Chinese official development assistance loan.
According to the Philippine Ministry of Transport, the Philippine Iron and Meter Bone Line project will be divided into four phases, with a total design length of 565 kilometers, and the whole line will connect the Metro Manila region and the southern Luzon province and the east coast in the future. (End)
Source: China News Network
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