Jica’s expanded mass transport study seen out within ’14

THE ANTICIPATED mass transportation feasibility study for Metro Manila being carried out by the Japan International Cooperation Agency is expected to be done this year, helping the government map out a cohesive infrastructure strategy to address congestion in the area, a government official said.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and CEO Arnel Casanova said in a recent interview that a key component of the study would be the mass transportation options that would link central business districts in Manila, Makati, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals. The BCDA owns several pieces of property in Taguig and within the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex.

“Jica has expanded the scope of the study and we think it will be done (in 2014),” Casanova said. The study would also determine the most efficient mode of funding, and would include official development assistance and possibly, the Public Private Partnership program.

“It will consider all kinds of mass transport systems like Light rail, monorail and BRT [ bus rapid transport] systems,” he added.

The plan would likewise involve multiple implementing agencies including the Department of Transportation and Communications and Department of Public Works and Highways.

The plan originally covered a P70-billion monorail project that would link Bonifacio Global City and Naia.

But Casanova said this was a standalone project with the projected internal rate of return deemed too low to be considered feasible. An expanded plan like the one being undertaken by Jica might still include a monorail, he noted.

A Jica representative last month said the government would need to invest about P2.3 trillion through 2030 to overhaul transportation infrastructure in Metro Manila. It estimated that about P2.4 billion in potential income was being lost daily due to congestion at the capital’s roads and railways.

Other actions are already being undertaken by the private sector, with separate “connector roads” linking the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila to be built by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and San Miguel Corp.