ILOILO City – If not needed in this city, the revived Panay railway system may hold base in nearby Santa Barbara, Iloilo, according to state-owned Panay Railways, Inc. (PRI).
The operator of Panay railways owns two hectares of land in Santa Barbara where a train station or passenger terminal may be built.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas recently said this city’s road network has immensely improved so it has no need for a railway system.
“Let us build the proposed railway system outside the city,” he added.
PRI director Cesar Capellan welcomed Treñas’ suggestion. He said he would present this possibility to two entities that showed interest in Panay railways’ revival – the United Kingdom-based Global Wealth Centres and China Railway International Group Ltd.
PRI’s property in Santa Barbara is strategically located near the public market, Capellan said.
PRI has yet to present to the city government the proposed Panay railways revival project. Capellan said he would seek an audience with Treñas and the Sangguniang Panlungsod for this.
When it was operational in Iloilo City, the Panay railway trains ended at the passenger terminal along the wharf next to the Customs House and near where the current Iloilo City Hall stands. Trains ran across what is now the Drilon Bridge from La Paz district and down the bank of the Iloilo River to Muelle Loney at the Port of Iloilo.
“Kanami naman sang dalan ta diri sa syudad. Within the city waay na kita kinahanglan railway. Obrahon ta na lang outside the city,” Treñas said early this week.
In case the Santa Barbara option for the revived Panay railways pushes through, Capellan said PRI would ask the chosen investor to build a monorail from Santa Barbara to Iloilo City to pick up railway passengers, and another monorail from Santa Barbara to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
The Panay railways started operating in 1907. Its original route was 117 kilometers long and included 19 permanent and 10 flag stations. It connected the then towns of La Paz and Jaro (now districts of Iloilo City), Pavia, Santa Barbara, New Lucena, Pototan, Dingle, Dueñas, and Passi in Iloilo, and Dumarao, Dao, Panitan, Cuartero, and Loctugan in Capiz. It reached Roxas City.
In 1980s, a 12-kilometer spur was constructed from Dueñas to Calinog, Iloilo to serve a sugar refinery in Iloilo.
Railway operations ceased in 1983 due to mounting losses.
Capellan said the PRI has invited Global Wealth Centres and China Railway International Group Ltd. executives to visit Iloilo.
Reviving Panay Island’s railway system should not be a problem even if it needs gargantuan funding, according to Capellan.
The revival, estimated to cost US$1.5 billion, may be done through the public-private partnership scheme, he said.
Capella said the US$1.5 billion is just for Phase 1 of the Panay railway system’s revival. It covers the rehabilitation of 117 kilometers of railway tracks from Iloilo City to Roxas City.
“Phase 1 includes civil works, locomotives, human resources, relocations, among others,” said Capellan.
The proposed revival of Panay Island’s railway system will expand its area of coverage, thus Phase 2 will see the construction of new railway routes from Roxas City to Kalibo, Aklan going to Caticlan in Malay, Aklan, said Capellan.
Phase 3 will cover the new railway route from Caticlan, Malay, Aklan to San Jose, Antique; and Phase 4 will cover the new route from San Jose, Antique to Iloilo City via Iloilo province’s San Joaquin and Miag-ao towns.
“Ang first phase lang muna ang pagtutuunan ng pansin. Yan ang recommendation ng NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority),” said Capellan.
Once the old railway route becomes operational, the second, third and fourth phases, may be started, he added./PN
