Nilagdaan na ng Department of Transportation (DOTr) at Chinese contractors ang Bicol Railway Project na nagkakahalaga ng P142-B.
Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ng DOTr na pinirmahan na ni Transport Sec. Art Tugade nitong Lunes, Enero 17, ang unang bahagi ng kontrata ng proyekto ng Philippine National Railway (PNR) na may habang 380 kilometro.
Tinawag itong ‘biggest single rail contract’ ng DOTr at nilagdaan ito kasama ang joint venture ng China Railway Group Ltd., China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group Co., Ltd., at China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. (CREC JV) na siyang gagawa ng design, construction at electromechanical works.
“For our kababayans in the South who have dreamt of this project for so long, we are finally seeing the light of day. This milestone is a huge leap towards realizing this long-awaited project – the PNR Bicol or the South Long Haul Project. We are grateful to our development partners from China for supporting us in this endeavor and believing that the Filipino people deserve an improved quality of life,” ani Tugade sa isang pahayag.
Ang unang 380 kilometro ng PNR Bicol ay magmumula sa Banlic, Calamba at aabot ito hanggang Daraga, Albay.
Dadaanan ng naturang proyekto ang 39 na lungsod at bayan, 4 na lalawigan at 2 rehiyon. Kabilang sa mga itatayo ay 3 istasyon ng tren, 230 tulay, 10 passenger tunnels, at isang 70-ektaryang depot sa San Pablo, Laguna.
“We welcome this development full of enthusiasm as we will be working with rail experts known for their efficiency and speed in building long haul railways. This, along with our earnest goal to provide comfort and convenience to our commuters, will make this dream project a reality,” wika naman ni PNR General Manager Junn Magno.
Ang PNR-Bicol project ay may kabuuang 565 kilometro na siyang magdudugtong sa Metro Manila at mga lalawigan sa Timog Luzon gaya ng Batangas at Sorsogon.
Kapag fully operational na, inaasahang mababawasan ang travel time mula Manila hanggang Bicol mula sa kasalukuyang 12 oras hanggang 4 na oras na lamang.
Bukod dito, ang nabanggit na proyekto ay lilikha rin umano ng mahigit 5,000 trabaho.