The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is now preparing the funding for the feasibility study for a railway system that would connect the Batangas province to Metro Manila up to Subic and Clark.
But the project is not specifically intended for mass transport but more of connectivity among specialized industries and processing activities in Subic and Clark Special Economic Zones; textile, garments and consumer electronics factories in the Calabarzon; prime agricultural production south and north of Manila; and port related industries in Batangas.
DOTr Secretary Timothy said the project, under the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Railway system, will be a joint initiative of the Philippine government, the United States, Sweden and the Asian Development bank (ADB).
Once completed, the railway system will connect Subic Port with Clark International Airport (CRK) to the Port of Manila and the Port of Batangas in Batangas City.
“Currently, we are preparing the feasibility study for this project,” said Batan.
Originally, the railway system was under the Subic-Clark Railway system under a US$798.5 million loan from China.
Last year, the DOTr announced that it was withdrawing the project due to the failure of a bank in China to comply with the October 31, 2023 deadline imposed by the Philippine government on pertinent documents.
The project was brought up anew in a discussion during the trilateral summit with United States President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April this year.
Under the new discussion, the project was extended from Subic-Clark to Metro Manila down to Batangas.
“This logistics corridor will not only connect the ports of Subic and the Clark airport but will also extend to Port of Manila and Port of Batangas,” said Batan.
The 250-kilometer railway project is expected to streamline logistics and reduce transportation costs to promote better economic integration.