The Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) is finally moving forward following the recent signing of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the China Railway Design Corporation for the P3 billion project management consultant contract.
DoTr-Mindanao Railway Project Manager Clipton J. Solamo affirmed to Edge Davao that DoTr has signed the contract for the project management last Monday and construction will follow.
“There are two contractors for the Mindanao Rail. We signed the contract for the Project Management Consultant last Monday. Construction will follow once we can procure the Design and Build Contractor,” he said.
China Railway Design will assist the government in project management and cost estimates and design.
“As soon as we receive the shortlist from China for the procurement, the construction of the project will follow,” Solamo said.
The Mindanao Railway Project-Tagum-Davao-Digos (MRP-TDD) first phase will be funded by China and covers the first 100-kilometers of the proposed 1,500-km Mindanao Railway project.
The project has eight stations with three in Davao del Norte, three in Davao City, and two in Davao del Sur. A 10-hectare depot will be built in Tagum.
The MRP is among big-ticket projects under the Duterte administration’s ‘Build Build Build” (BBB) program which is expected to have the most economic impact in terms of revitalizing the economy and getting the Davao Region back to its pre-Covid crisis growth rates and employment levels.
The Regional Development Council (RDC 11) has endorsed a list of Davao Region’s Build, Build, Build (BBB) Flagship Projects for endorsement to the Cabinet Economic Development Cluster (EDC) including the Mindanao train project.
The RDC 11’s prioritized nine projects for the years 2020 to 2022 are Samal Island-Davao Connector (SIDC); Davao Public Transport Modernization (DPTM); Davao City Coastal Bypass Road (including Bucana Bridge); Davao City Bypass Construction; Davao International Airport Modernization; Davao City Expressway; Davao Sasa Port Modernization; Davao People Mover (Monorail); and rehabilitation and improvement of the Davao Fishport Project.
