Mindanao Rail pre-feasibility study completed for project’s third phase

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) is moving to the full feasibility study stage of the P100.64‑billion Mindanao Railway project Phase 3, according to the Public‑Private Partnership (PPP) Center.

“The PPP Center through its Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF), completed the pre‑feasibility study (pre‑FS) for the Mindanao Railway Project, Phase 3,” PPP Center said via Viber on Wednesday.

It said the project is undergoing further preparation at the DoTr the railway’s implementing agency.

The DoTr will move to a comprehensive feasibility study to assess and refine the project’s technical, financial, and economic viability, the PPP Center said.

Only phase three of the Mindanao Railway is being put forward for a solicited PPP.

Phase 3 is a 61-kilometer high-capacity, inter-city passenger and cargo railway system linking the industrial and commercial centers of Cagayan de Oro, according to the PPP Center website.

Phase 3 has an estimated project cost of P100.64 billion.

The rail line will link Laguindingan International Airport, the port of Cagayan de Oro City, and the Mindanao Container port.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy R. Batan said the DoTr and the Asian Development Bank are also updating the feasibility study for the first phase of the Mindanao Railway project.

The Philippines dropped China as a funding source for the first phase, the South Long-Haul railway, and the Subic-Clark Railway, due to lack of progress on financing decisions by Beijing.

The DoTr is revising Mindanao Railway’s original study to make the project more modern and environment-friendly. — Ashley Erika O. Jose