PH’s first bullet train
NEDA Also Re-evaluating JICA-Funded $1.23-B MRT 7 Project
By Mark Anthony N. Manuel and Chino S. Leyco
Published: April 18, 2013
Manila, Philippines --- The country will soon have its first bullet train after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) announced that Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has expressed its intention to finance the $3-billion Clark-Metro Manila project.
Another project, the $1.23-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) that will run from San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to SM North in Quezon City, will be financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Both projects will be built under the BOT scheme.
The plan for the bullet train is to construct the new railways between the lanes of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) because an earlier proposal to construct it parallel to the railway was scrapped due to some technical problems.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) said the project will be called “Express Airport Trains” which will have at least three stops in Metro Manila.
CIAC said that using the proposed trains, it will only take about 45 minutes to transport passengers from Clark to Manila, and vice versa.
The planned stopovers are Balintawak or near TriNoMa or SM North in Quezon City; Manila like Dimasalang or University of Sto. Tomas; and Makati at Buendia Avenue.
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