The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will develop the country’s railway sector by focusing on the training and human resource development of railway personnel through the Philippine Railways Institute (PRI), according to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
The DOTr will continue to partner with other countries with established and renowned railway systems, including Japan to “invigorate” the Philippine railway system, he noted.
“In collaboration with our partners, we must remain committed in developing our railway sector and provide convenient, safe, and reliable travel service in keeping with the expectations of our riding public,” Bautista stated during the third founding anniversary of the PRI.
He cited the Government of Japan’s role in the country’s railway sector progress, including the PRI Technical Assistance that will continue the effective transfer of technical expertise by Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to the country’s railway personnel.
The agreement will allow railway personnel to be trained, and improve their skills and competence by the Government of Japan.
The first state-of-the-art train and desktop simulators from Japan will also help train operators, said Bautista.
The train simulators offer new technology to teach, instruct and train future train operators in the country and complement the DOTr railway projects.
As of 2022, the PRI has produced 2,464 trained personnel. A total of 904 trainees finished PRI courses in 2022.
The PRI, an attached agency of the DOTr, is the country’s sole research and training center focused on human resource development of the railway sector.