THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) is seeking approval from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to adjust the loan terms for the financing of Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT-4).
“We will need to get maybe the approval of NEDA because there is a change in plan. There is a change in scope and change in cost,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista told reporters on Tuesday.
The DoTr is still working on the detailed engineering design of the project, Mr. Bautista said, adding that the original plan for the MRT-4 was for a monorail with limited capacity.
“The original plan for the MRT-4 was for a monorail, but now we want to change it to a regular light rail configuration. Because the ridership there is quite huge. A monorail would have limited capacity,” he added.
The MRT-4 will cover 12.7 kilometers from Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) Ortigas Ave. junction to Taytay, Rizal. It will have 10 stations.
The project is aimed at improving urban mobility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Once operational, the MRT-4 is expected to serve more than 400,000 passengers daily, the Transportation department has said.
In July, the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank said the Philippines is seeking a loan of about $537.4 million for the construction of the railway. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
