The North-South Railway Project (NSRP) is a proposed railway line between Metro Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines and Legaspi City, the capital of Albay province.
The project is a part of the Government of Philippines’ (GOP) objective to catalyse economic and urban growth in the most populous regions of the islands by providing critical connectivity through a world-class passenger rail service.
The NSRP revitalises the oldest rail system in south-east Asia, by delivering a 56km-long commuter rail and a 653km long-haul passenger rail services between Metro Manila and the under-served regions in South Luzon.
The project is being jointly implemented by the Philippines’ Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and Philippines National Railways (PNR). It was approved by the National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) Board, in February 2015.
In November 2015, the government of Philippines and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a JPY241.99bn ($1.992.17bn) loan agreement for the phase one construction of the commuter line between Malolos and Tutuban.
JICA is also funding the detailed engineering design of the commuter line, which was in its final stages as of June 2017.
For construction of the 653km long-haul passenger rail, the Philippine Government is seeking financial assistance from China under a financing scheme being offered by the Export-Import Bank of China. The government has submitted relevant applications to the Chinese Government for the loan as of January 2017.
https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/north-south-railway-project/