Fast train to Clark Airport needed – Roxas

MANILA, Philippines – A fast train to the Clark International Airport in Angeles City, Pampanga is needed if the government decides to develop it as a premier gateway, Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas said.

“What you need here is a fast train similar to the one in Hong Kong. A commuter train, which is slower, will not work,” he told Central Luzon officials.

He said the express train would have to be built on top of or parallel to the North Luzon Expressway.

“This is something that we saw was needed when I was still with the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications),” Roxas added.

He said he supports the development of Clark, which has an area of 2,000 hectares, as the country’s main gateway in place of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which only has 440 hectares.

Roxas pointed out that expanding NAIA would entail the reclamation of land, which is an expensive endeavor.

“The huge amount we will spend for land reclamation, we can use to build infrastructure like roads and the train system going to Clark. It is not only travelers who will benefit from this, the people in communities that these infra projects will traverse will benefit as well,” he stressed.

He promised to pursue the development of the Clark airport if he wins in next year’s elections.

Pampanga officials, including Reps. Oscar Rodriguez and Joseller Guiao, welcomed Roxas’ plan.

Rodriguez said the government should have started the transfer of the country’s main airport to Clark, given the congestion “on land and in the air” at the NAIA.

He said airline companies, travelers, the public and the nation, in general, have been losing billions in fuel, opportunity and economic costs due to the interminable congestion at the Manila airport, adding that it is easier to travel to Clark from northern Metro Manila than to go to NAIA.

Guiao said the authorities could encourage or even compel carriers to use the Clark airport.