The Philippines’ Department of Transport (DoTr) has started the process of appointing consultants to conduct feasibility studies for four railway projects with a total length of 1,024 km. According to the government, the lines will provide access to key economic markets such as agricultural centres, tourism areas and major business districts. DoTr will allocate €9.8 million (PHP 600 million) for the studies, which are expected to take more than a year to complete. The largest of the four projects is the proposed 853 km North Long Haul Line, a Y-shaped, non-electrified extension of the commuter rail network in northern Manila. Other projects include a 100 km north-south line on Panay Island and a 54 km section of the network on Mindanao Island. The shortest of the four projects is the proposed 17 km San Mateo line, which will connect the suburb of Rodriguez in the north-east of Manila with the capital.
