Farm-to-market railway project under PPP Center evaluation

A proposal to construct a farm-to-market railway along the existing rail line of the Philippine National Railway (PNR) is now being evaluated by the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center after both Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. expressed support to the project.

Once the PPP Center is done in its evaluation, the project will be endorsed again to the DoTr and we can proceed with it,” said Francis Yuseco, CEO of the Philippine Trackway Corp., in an article published by The Daily Tribune.

According to Agriculture Assistant Secretary Dannie Atayde, the farm-to-market Digital Logistics Integrated Backbone (FM-DLIB), to be funded with $5 billion from Hasdaq Financial Holdings Group, is important on the logistics side, especially on the plan to put food hubs, cold storage facilities and provide post-harvest equipment at the PNR elevated train system.

“To be efficient, agricultural products should be put near the transport area to be able to distribute the products directly to the consumers and to help the farmers. We can discuss more and plan it right and we look forward to this,” Atayde said.

FM-DLIB’s main proponent, Philippine Trackway Corp. (Philtrak) headed by its CEO Francis Yuseco, plans to build the railway system together with consortium members Leechiu Property Consultants Inc., Del Monte Motor Works Inc. and DLTB Bus. The plan has been pitched in 2022.
The FM-DLIB uses DoST’s electric road train technology at the old, decommissioned Panay Railways Inc. train line. It will be built along the elevated, double-track and electrified train system of the PNR’s existing rail line from Alabang to Calamba. ROSE DELA CRUZ