The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is relying on the private sector's “efficiency and flexibility” in accomplishing large-scale infrastructure projects with the national government.

This, as the transportation department on Thursday, Aug. 17, signed a contract with four of the agency’s Infrastructure Flagship Projects’ (IFP) consultancy services.

The agency inked the contract for consultancy services with the Public-Private Partnership Center, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Isla Lipana & Co (PwC Philippines), and SyCip Gorres Velayo & Company (SGV) for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) operations and maintenance and feasibility studies for the NCR EDSA Busway, Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry System (MAPALLA) and North Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway.

According to Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, the DOTr will rely on the private sector’s expertise in transportation planning, architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and other aspects of the projects.

“The Marcos administration is committed to leverage the private sector’s efficiency and flexibility,” he said.

Bautista noted that the transportation department is “working full speed and is commencing the feasibility studies of four IFPs.”

The DOTr stated that the North Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway will be an 800-kilometer railway that will reconstruct the legacy railway to Ilocos and Cagayan Valley and will provide better transportation for passengers and goods, connecting rapidly urbanizing economic centers in the northern and northeastern parts of Luzon.

Meanwhile, it said that the Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry System will reconstruct and expand the Pasig River Ferry for quality and higher frequency services throughout the Greater Capital Region, including Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

“The ferry system will feature low-carbon ferries servicing tens of thousands of passengers daily,” DOTr added.

The transportation department, on the other hand, said the NCR EDSA Busway is anticipated to improve the existing EDSA Carousel to address the high demand for transportation services along the median of EDSA and feeder roads by increasing capacity and service reliability.

The DOTr added that the project may also involve the introduction of electric buses, reducing the carbon emissions along heavily trafficked corridors of Metro Manila.

The transportation department said the Cebu BRT, a 13.18-kilometer bus lane running from Mambaling to Cebu IT Park, is anticipated to carry up to 160,000 passengers per day when fully operational.