An official of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said the agency is targeting to finish the pre-construction works for the first phase of the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) by the third quarter of this year.
“We are targeting to finish the pre-construction works within the third quarter of this year,” Atty. Clipton Solamo, project manager, told Edge Davao in a text message.
Mindanao’s first railway, the Mindanao Railway Project, has commenced pre-construction activities for Phase 1 which is the Tagum-Davao-Digos (MRP-TDD) segment.
Based on a report posted on social media by Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, pre-construction works and right-of-way (ROW) and site acquisition activities are ongoing.
In a presentation material shared to Edge Davao, activities for MRP-TDD segment that commenced in July 2019 include MRP-Project Management Office (PMO) together with development planner and designer Arup and Balbes conducted a joint inspection of the area, conduct of information and education campaigns and consultative meetings in all barangays affected by the project alignment and consultative meeting in Barangay Catalunan Pequeño.
In November last year, key speakers from DoTr organized an orientation for PMO personnel on ROW process. Census, tagging and validation activities were also conducted in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
DoTr also conducted coordination meetings with local government units to give details in the implementation of the project in Tagum City and a resettlement action plan training to equip PMO personnel in fieldworks involving the relocation of project affected persons (PAPs) and informal Settler Families (ISFs).
From an electrified and dual track railway system, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved the single track-diesel type railway system for this segment.
In an earlier interview, Eymard Eje, assistant secretary for project implementation of DoTr, the agency will be acquiring a 40-meter wide of the right-of-way (ROW) for its entire line. He said this will enable the department to operate a dual track railway system in the future.
He added that the maximum design speed of electric multiple unit (EMU), which is 350 kilometers per hour, is faster that the dual multiple unit (DMU), which is 200 kilometers per hour, yet the DMU train still meets the design speed of the MRP TDD at 160 kilometers per hour and its assumed average operational speed of 100 kilometers per hour and with reduced travel and waiting time, the public will patronize the Mindanao railway based on the feasibility study (FS) conducted.
The MRP-TDD is a 100.2 kilometer rail lines that will run from Tagum City, Davao City, Davao del Sur. Once completed, travel time between Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur will be reduced from three hours to just one hour.
