Bids solicited for Samar-Leyte, Panay railway feasibility study

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it is soliciting bids from consultants for a bundled feasibility study covering a railway on Panay and another linking Samar and Leyte. 

In a request for expressions of interest, the DoTr  invited interested parties for the P157.21-million contract to carry out the feasibility studies on the proposed rail lines.

“The DoTr now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the consulting services for the conduct of the Samar-Leyte Railway and Panay Railway feasibility study,” the DoTr said.

Bids are due Sept. 8, the DoTr said, adding that the contractor will have 365 days to complete the project.

The studies will include the pre-feasibility and development studies as well as the preliminary detailed engineering design of the infrastructure projects, the DoTr said.

In 2023, the DoTr said it obtained about P600 million in funding for feasibility studies on four projects — the Panay railway, the Philippine National Railway North Long Haul line, the North Mindanao Railway, and the San Mateo Railway, which connects LRT Line 2 to the Rizal towns of San Mateo and Rodriguez.

The Panay rail system project includes the construction of a passenger and freight railway, logistics facilities, maintenance depots, and transit-oriented developments.

Also in 2023, the DoTr created a task force for the proposed Eastern Visayas Metro Railway System which will link Samar and Leyte islands. — Ashley Erika O. Jose