The sunrise rail service will soon be available in Cebu.
It is as a consortium of local and foreign firms that it’s currently working closely with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to construct the LRT as an efficient and convenient mass transit system in Cebu.
Chris Kou, a consortium representative and project developer, said today that the proponent, led by Tjen Hian Ka, a senior consultant for the consortium, began the method with DOTr as early because the last quarter of 2017.
The consortium expects to finish the method with DOTr this yr. Kou said that after the obligatory permits and other documents are obtained by this yr (2018), construction could begin immediately in early 2019.
Kou said Tjen is a senior director of SAA Architects Pte Ltd (Singapore) and a recognized figure within the architecture industry in Singapore and China. His company deals with transportation and integrated development projects and has implemented metro and lightweight rail projects of assorted scales in various countries in Asia.
Tjen has actively participated within the design and construction management of over 50 percent of Singapore’s MRT and LRT systems. Currently, SAA was involved within the design and construction management of Terminal 4 of Changi Airport in Singapore, with a complete area of 225,000 square meters and a capability of 16 million passengers per yr. The airport, with a complete cost of virtually one billion Singapore dollars, was opened and inaugurated in October 2017.
Kou said the proposal presented by Tjena’s group to the administration of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte through DOTr is ready to construct the Cebu Light Rail Transit (Cebu LRT) metro under design-finance-build-transmission and project management.
He said the Cebu LRT might be financed under the Chinese government’s One Belt One Road program, supported by Chinese firms: Guangzhou Metro China; Guangzhou Metro and Design Institute, China; Anhui Shengyun Environmental Protection Group Co (China); Guangdong Hydropower Co. Ltd. China; Harvest Global Investment Pte Ltd, Singapore; and Sinophile Sheng Yun Management Inc. (Philippines).
“The proposal is to build an elevated LRT with a subway section in Cebu City’s central business district,” Kou said.
He assured the Cebuano community that the Cebu LRT could be constructed with minimal disruption to existing traffic.
The light rail project might be implemented in two stages.
“In the first phase, there will be two lines that will cover the Cebu Metro area. This phase includes the Central Line and the Airport Line with a bridge connecting the Cebu mainland to Mactan Island,” Kou said. “Phase 1 will also provide a research, development and technical support center for building local skills related to the rail ecosystem.”
engineer Manuel “Jam” Jamonir, business development manager at Udenna Infrastructure Corp., said the primary phase of Cebu LRT will essentially cover your entire Cebu metro because the line will start from Carcar City to Danao City and vice versa.
Jamonir said, “For the first time, Cebu City will be able to use rail transport operating on the metro system. Outside Cebu City, the LRT line will run above ground to minimize the use of existing roads for infrastructure columns of the rail system,” Jamonir said.
This rail transportation system for Cebu, which is able to profit its 2.8 million inhabitants, might be built at zero cost to the federal government, might be operated without government subsidies and without government guarantees, with top quality assurance given the energetic participation of Udenna Group under the leadership of Mr. Dennis Uy’s leadership, Jamonir said.
Kou added that the second phase might be a suburban railway for greater Cebu, the implementation of which is able to rely on economic aspects, population, future modern transportation needs and others.
The project developer quoted a senior consultant as saying that the LRT will provide the people of Cebu with a quick, reliable and efficient transportation system that is predicted to alleviate the present traffic conditions, especially in Cebu City’s central business district.
Mr Kou said Mr Tjen’s group takes into consideration estimated passenger numbers over the following 50 years in addition to the present road network.
“For a project like LRT, we’d like to look to the longer term and seek the advice of with planning experts. During the implementation stage, we must make sure that disruptions and inconvenience to current road users and residents of the metropolis are minimal, Kou emphasized.
He said the primary phase of the Cebu LRT might be constructed within the shortest possible time, with all on-site work expected to be accomplished by 2022.
Source: Sunstar.com.ph
