Representatives from the Korean Engineering Company (KEC) will be reporting by March next year on its findings for a possible railway line in the city, according to the city council committee chair on transportation.
In an interview Wednesday, transport committee chair Tomas Monteverde IV told reporters that the engineers were already conducting studies on which possible railway project could be apt for the city.
“We have a choice of going for a system like a rail subway or a train line on an elevated platform,” Monteverde said.
The councilor added that the city was also inclined to have the railway system being operated on a build-operate-transfer system under a public-private partnership.
In October, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte visited South Korea to speak with KEC representatives on the proposed project.
Duterte had earlier said that he wanted to see a Davao City railway project being finished before his term ends in 2016.
However, Duterte told reporters in a press forum early November that he would prefer the cheapest version of the railway project that the city could afford.
Monteverde said the city was also willing for the railway project to be financed by a loan.
The councilor added that the city government would be pushing for the reduction of the number of vehicles on the streets once the railway project is completed.
“We can’t be like the situation in Manila,” Monteverde said, referring to an influx of vehicles after the creation of several railway projects such as the Metro Rail and Light Rail Transit projects. - Mindanao News
