JICA commits ¥900 B more for railway projects in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has pledged to lend around ¥900 billion more to fund ongoing railway projects in the Philippines, an official of the agency said.

“Just to relate to the railway sector, I mentioned that we project to commit about ¥1.3 trillion for railway projects,” JICA Philippines senior representative Kiyo Kawabuchi said.

Among the railway projects JICA has committed to fund are the first tranche of the Metro Manila Subway Project, North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project (and the first tranche of the extension project), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 Rehabilitation Project, Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension Project and LRT Line 2 East Extension Project.

These railway projects are seen to expand Metro Manila’s current 79-kilometer railway lines to as much as 244 kilometers, including links to surrounding areas.

“Major cities in the world like Tokyo, Seoul, New York and London have as much as 400 to 800 kilometers of railways to keep up with urbanization and enhance mobility,” JICA said.

It added that the railway projects could help address growing passenger demand and attract relevant investments into the country.

“JICA’s official development assistance (ODA) in the railway sector aims to impact on wealth being distributed to other areas outside Metro Manila through investments and jobs,” Kawabuchi said.

“Once completed, these transport infrastructure projects will help realize the shared vision of JICA and the Philippines toward reduced traffic congestion, seamless mobility, and better quality of life of many Filipinos,” she added.

JICA lauded the Philippine government’s efforts to fasttrack the construction of railway projects, emphasizing the role of infrastructure in national development by building the north-south backbone of Metro Manila and nearby areas, and developing new growth centers.

“Our partnership with Japan, through JICA, will be remembered in history as the cornerstone of modern Philippine railway infrastructure development. It is my hope that this partnership endures, as we transport the Filipino from the present to the future,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

JICA has been a trusted development partner of the Philippines since the 1970s through diesel-electric railcars for the Philippine National Railway, and early capacity expansion of the LRT Lines 1 and 2, to cite a few.