JAPAN International Cooperation Agency has donated 120 new rolling stocks for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 to help decongest Metro Manila and enhance the business climate in the Philippines.
Jica on Monday announced that the Department of Transportation awarded the contract to supply the new rolling stocks to Mitsubishi Corp.
Mitsubishi will supply 120 cars or the equivalent of 30 train sets to LRT Line 1 beginning 2020 until 2022.
The project is part of Jica ‘s ODA loan for the “Capacity Enhancement of Mass Transit Systems in Metro Manila Project” that aims to support quality transport infrastructure in the Philippines to help sustain the country’s economic growth.
“Through the project, Jica aims to support the Philippines in accommodating the growing demand for quality mass transport and job opportunities,” Jica Philippines chief representative Susumu Ito said.
“The present administration’s thrust to usher in a ‘golden age of infrastructure’ could also mean a ‘golden age for investments’ in the Philippines.’ With this, Jica hopes to continue contributing to Philippine economic growth in a sustainable way through infrastructure development,” Ito said.
The new LRT Line 1 rolling stocks will use Japanese technology and products while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Once completed, the new rolling stocks can accommodate 1,388 passengers per train and more than double the number of running trains to the year 2222.
Jica has supported quality transport infrastructure in the Philippines since the ‘70s with 45 percent of its ODA loan portfolio channeled to supporting infrastructure even in the remotest areas.
The Philippines’ investments in transportation infrastructure are now in the works, with the approval recently of the Philippines’ first subway project to be assisted by Jica by the National Economic and Development Authority Board.
The Jica project noted that shifting from road-based transport to rail-based mass transit could help ease the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila due to urbanization and population growth. Metro Manila’s urban rail systems have been built since the mid-1980s and transport demand has also increased since.
Jica is the world’s largest bilateral aid agency with its volume of cooperation amounting to about US$21.2 billion for JFY 2015 and a worldwide network of about 100 overseas offices including the Philippines.
