DOTr inks contract with China for Mindanao Railway project

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has signed a project management consultancy contract for the first phase of the Mindanao railway project with the China Railway Design Corp. and Guangzhou Wanan Construction Supervision Co. Ltd. consortium.

“The DOTr is now bringing the Mindanao rail project to life and will very soon be providing a reliable, convenient and fast railway connection to the millions of residence of Mindanao,” DOTr Assistant Secretary for project implementation for the Mindanao cluster Eymard Eje said.

The Mindanao rail is a China-funded project which will be the country’s first train system outside Luzon.

Eje said the first phase of the massive railway project is the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment comprising about 100 kilometers that will connect the cities of Tagum in Davao del Norte, Davao City, and Digos in Davao del Sur with eight stations along its alignment.

The project will have a depot in Tagum for heavy maintenance and a satellite depot in Davao City for light maintenance.

Eje said partial operation of the segment is by March next year, with full operation eyed by June 2023.

Once operational, it can accommodate up to 122,000 passengers by 2022 and reduce travel time from three hours to one hour from Tagum City to Digos City.

“China Railway Design Corp. or CRDC, being the project management consultant for the first phase of the Mindanao rail project, shall assist the Mindanao railway project management office in the preparation and management of the overall project implementation program,” Eje said.

“This also includes land acquisition activities, coordination with various government agencies having authority over or associated with the design and works in the project, preparation and submission to the project management office of cost estimates for project budget approval, and necessary update and review of the detailed design for the project,” he said.

According to the DOTr, the 1,544-kilometer Mindanao railway project is one of the big-ticket infrastructure projects under the Build Build Build program that will help improve inter-island connectivity, generate livelihood and boost Mindanao’s economic development.

Article was originally published in Philippine Star and written by Richmond Mercurio.