Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Facebook)

What's better than bringing back the Bicol Express train line? Bringing it back with cutting-edge rail technology.

In pursuing the revival and modernization of the so-called Bicol Express, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said estimates show that the construction of Phase 1 of the project alone will create about 5,000 to 10,000 direct construction jobs each year and generate even thousands more in related areas.

Yamsuan said the project would require highly skilled railway engineers and other technology-savvy workers as the administration of President Marcos is bent on implementing the project with modern freight infrastructure and world-class passenger rail services along its route.

“Reconstructing the Bicol Express using cutting-edge rail technology will be a game changer in terms of fueling South Luzon’s economic growth," said the neophyte lawmaker, who is among the more vocal proponents of the project.

"A modern Bicol Express will not only safely and comfortably transport commuters and tourists along its scenic route, it would also facilitate a dramatic increase in the transport of goods and services going to and from South Luzon,” he said.

“This would, in turn, boost trade across the regions, bring down transport expenses for both manufacturers and workers, and create new urban centers outside Metro Manila,” Yamsuan added.

As per estimates of the Chinese embassy when the reconstruction of the Bicol Express was being considered for funding by China, the P142-billion project would create “over 10,000 direct construction jobs each year and hundreds of thousands of jobs in related areas".

“The project will also open well-paying permanent jobs for railway engineers and other workers who will need to be trained to operate the modern Bicol Express as well as other railway projects of the government covered by the ‘Build Better More’ program of President Marcos,” Yamsuan noted.

Yamsuan said micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will also flourish at the station stops of the Bicol Express line, creating even more jobs that go beyond construction and supply chain support.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) estimates that every peso spent on infrastructure yields another P1.27 in economic benefits. Also, every job created in the infrastructure sector generates a multiplier effect of 0.5 jobs.

Yamsuan has been pushing the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in implementing the revival and modernization of the Bicol Express to ensure that the project can begin implementation under the current Marcos administration.

With no clear direction yet from China on whether it would continue to fund the project, Yamsuan said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) could consider tapping foreign funding institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide financing for the electromechanical system of the project, while the government funds the right-of-way acquisition and rolling stock, and partners with the private sector for the civil works aspect of the project.

Connecting Laguna to Bicol, the first package of the Bicol Express or the PNR’s South Long Haul Project is expected to reduce travel time between the two points from the current 14 to 18 hours to just four to six hours.