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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to revive the operation of Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) rail tracks between the ports of Manila and the Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal.
The DOTr said the reopening will pave the way for the resumption of the container cargo services from International Container Terminal Services Inc. unit Manila International Container Port (MICP) and Manila North Harbor to the inland port in Laguna.
Once operational, the link will help PNR haul cargo containers equivalent to 500 to 700 truck trips per day.
The agency also plans to purchase freight trains which will help decongest the Delpan-Roxas boulevard-Osmeña highway corridor in Manila.
According to the DOTr, these measures are being implemented amid the ongoing construction of the PNR North and South railway projects under the Build, Build, Build program of the Duterte administration.
Recently, engineers from the DOTr-PNR and ICTSI inspected the right-of-way (ROW) on roads leading to the Port of Manila.
Meanwhile, DOTr is set to inaugurate the Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT), the country’s first container roll-on/roll-off barge terminal this month.
CGT will be located within a six-hectare property in Tanza, Cavite. It will be integrated with other major Luzon port facilities for more cost-effective and time-bound access to the Cavite market for both inbound and outbound cargo.
The CGT was designed to expand port capacity, and reduce traffic congestion in Metro Manila by supporting an annual capacity of 115,000 twenty foot equivalent unit (TEUs) translating to 140,000 fewer truck trips travelling on city roads per year just for phase 1 alone.
Construction of this phase cost $30 million.
The CGT will allow trans-shipment of cargo from Manila port to Cavite via barges and Roll-on-Roll-off operations. This terminal will also be integrated with other major Luzon port facilities for a more cost-effective and time-bound access to the Cavite market.
ICSTI operated the cargo trains transporting containers from the port of Manila to Laguna using the PNR tracks from 1998 until it was discontinued in 2003. |
