1 month ago
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THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday said it is planning to construct an underground railway system in Cebu Province to ease traffic congestion.
According to Transportation Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, discussions with Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and the provincial government for the construction of a Cebu Subway started in 2024.
Batan said the project was conceived as part of the agency's master plan for the province to decongest its roads and encourage the use of public transport.
"Now it will go through the feasibility study. One of the directions we are taking is the involvement of the provincial government of Cebu so that it can be compatible and appropriate to the needs of the people of Cebu," he said over DOTr's radio program Sakay Na! on Radio Pilipinas.
Unlike in Metro Manila, Batan explained that Cebu Province has narrow roads, making construction of an elevated rail line not feasible.
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"Unfortunately, when we looked at Cebu, there is no long and wide road where we can build an elevated railway. That's where the idea [of the Cebu Subway] came from. Actually, the subway is in the master plan for Cebu," Batan said.
He added that an elevated rail line in Cebu would also mean a "curvy" alignment.
Under the Cebu master plan, the subway will have roughly 60 to 65 kilometers of rail line from Danao City to Carcar City.
Batan said the transport agency will have to conduct a demand study to determine the number of passengers the subway can accommodate.
"We will start a demand or ridership study so that we can estimate how many will be the ridership of the Cebu Subway," he said.
