The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Swedish government has extended a 12 million Swedish krona (about ₱74 million) grant to support the feasibility study for the Luzon Economic Corridor’s (LEC) flagship Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) railway project.
The Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA) said the grant agreement between Sweden, through Swedfund International, and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) was presented at Malacañang Palace last week.
According to OSAPIEA, the Swedfund grant will finance a feasibility study on signaling systems and operational models for the SCMB railway — the LEC’s anchor infrastructure initiative that aims to connect the major ports of Subic, Manila, and Batangas to boost logistics and trade across Luzon.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will oversee the procurement of consultants for the study.
Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go and Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Anna Ferry led the presentation of the agreement, joined by Swedish officials and representatives from the DOTr, Department of Finance, and Department of Foreign Affairs.
Go said the partnership with Sweden advances President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of building globally competitive logistics infrastructure to spur investment and inclusive growth.
Ferry, for her part, said the cooperation “is a remarkable example of synergies between public and private efforts,” adding that Sweden is proud to support the Philippines’ development goals with its expertise in sustainable transport.
OSAPIEA added that the Swedish support complements funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency in June 2025, which will finance parallel studies on transport modeling, port–rail integration, and institutional planning.