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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DOTr starts development of Mindanao railway project

DOTr starts development of Mindanao railway project

Published Nov 24, 2025 07:08 pm
(Unsplash)
(Unsplash)
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has finally taken its first step toward developing the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) with the start of right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions to make way for the railway connecting the cities of Tagum and Digos.
In a statement late Monday, Nov. 24, the DOTr said it has started acquiring properties that would be on the path of MRP to immediately start construction.
“The President said we need to expedite the acquisition of ROW for MRP because our fellow countrymen in Mindanao have long been waiting for this,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez.
“That’s why we are fast-tracking it. We need to start this right away because many passengers will surely benefit from it,” he added.
Lopez said his agency has allocated ₱148 million for the relocation of a total of 178 families that would be affected by MRP.
He said these families will be transferred to the so-called Tagum Train Village, which is being maintained by the local government through the supervision of the DOTr and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
An initial set of 96 families will be relocated in the first quarter of next year.
The remaining 82 families will be relocated upon the completion of necessary requirements including valid ID, latest family picture, barangay residency, and affidavit of low income, among others.
The DOTr said the aim is to still speed up processing to fast-track the relocation of families affected by the project.
The start of ROW acquisition comes as a rare good news for Mindanao’s first railway project after several years of delays.
The DOTr earlier said that MRP has failed to realize potential partnerships to kick off its construction after interested parties drop out over concerns that the feasibility study is now outdated.
In response to this, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan told lawmakers in September that the agency is working to secure a new development partner to conduct a new study.
The DOTr planned to offer the MRP’s feasibility study for bidding consultants before the end of the year, with the study starting by mid-2026 and a completion target in the first half of 2027.
The first phase of MRP spans 100 kilometers (km) over eight stations and will connect Tagum City in Davao Del Norte to Digos City in Davao Del Sur.
The project’s second phase will cover Laguindingan Airport in Cagayan de Oro City to Villanueva in Misamis Oriental.
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