Navotas Feeder BRT Enters Right-of-Way Acquisition and Financing Negotiations, DoTr Says
Key Takeaways
- •The P1.8-billion Navotas Feeder BRT project has entered the right-of-way acquisition stage, with financing negotiations underway.
- •The system is designed to serve about 12,674 passengers daily and consists of a 4.79-kilometer feeder express and a 5.01-kilometer feeder loop.
- •The line will connect Navotas passengers to LRT-1 at Monumento, the North-South Commuter Railway, and the EDSA Busway.
- •The project has cleared its feasibility study and detailed engineering design, and the DoTr aims to move to implementation within the year.
- •The DoTr is seeking partnerships with the Australian government and private companies, while Systra Philippines completed the feasibility study in 2022 and won the contract in 2024.
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) said its P1.8-billion Navotas Feeder line, a bus rapid transit (BRT) project connecting the Navotas fishing port to Monumento in Caloocan City, has entered the right-of-way (RoW) acquisition stage — the process of securing the land needed along the planned route — with financing arrangements also being negotiated.
“The Navotas feeder line project aims to improve mobility between Navotas and Monumento by providing a more reliable mass transit connection. This will help address existing transport gaps and improve access to major rail systems,” Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven C. Pastor said last week.
The line is expected to serve 12,674 passengers daily.
“It has (hurdled) the feasibility study and detailed engineering design stage. Current efforts focus on coordination, right-of-way, and funding arrangement. The target is to move the implementation within the year,” he said.
The project consists of two lines, the DoTr said: a 4.79-kilometer feeder express and a 5.01-kilometer feeder loop. The Transportation department said the system will be linked to the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), the North-South Commuter Railway, and the EDSA Busway — three of Metro Manila's principal mass transit corridors. Monumento, in Caloocan City, is a major transport interchange served by LRT-1, while Navotas is a coastal city widely regarded as the Philippines' fishing capital. As a feeder system, the line is designed to carry passengers from Navotas to those interchange points rather than duplicate the corridors themselves.
The DoTr said it is preparing civil works and the depot in parallel with the RoW and financing talks.
Last month, the DoTr said it is seeking partnerships with the government of Australia and private companies for the transportation system, which includes the Navotas feeder line project. Systra Philippines, a unit of Sydney-based engineering and consulting firm Systra Group, carried out the project's feasibility study in 2022 and won the contract in 2024.
With the DoTr targeting implementation within the year, the completion of right-of-way acquisition, the outcome of the financing negotiations, and the details of the partnerships being pursued with the Australian government and private companies are the immediate milestones to watch.
— Ashley Erika O. Jose
Source: BusinessWorld
