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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider $1.5 B needed for first phase of Panay railway revival

$1.5 B needed for first phase of Panay railway revival

Published Jul 26, 2022 07:50 pm

ILOILO CITY – The first phase of the proposed revival of the railway system of Panay Island may need at least $1.5 billion.

Panay Railways Inc. (PRI), the State-owned company that used to manage the railway operations, disclosed the needed funding.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. mentioned the railway system’s proposed revival in his first State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) Monday, July 25.

“But this is only for the first phase. The plan is for a four-phase project,” PRI Chief Operating Officer Cesar Capellan.

“The first phase is for the original railway that runs from Iloilo City to Roxas City in Capiz,” Capellan said in a phone interview Tuesday, July 26.

The amount includes all rehabilitation works for the 117-kilometer railway and the locomotives, the civil works, and the costing to relocate private properties that will be affected by the project.

The railway system was created by the Americans during the early 1900s and stopped operations during the 1980s.

The other planned phases will connect Roxas City to Malay, Aklan, where the world-famous Boracay Island is located. From Aklan, there are proposals to extend it to Antique and connect it back to Iloilo City.

For the past 20 years, there have been talks of its revival. As PRI cannot fund the proposed revival, it has long been banking on foreign investors. However, no proponent has gotten past the feasibility study stage.

Related Tags

revival President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. PANAY RAILWAYS Panay Island railway system
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