Proposed Cebu monorail project up for evaluation by NEDA-ICC

A contributed sketch of the Airport Line of the proposed monorail project for Cebu.

CEBU CITY—The proposed monorail project for Cebu would now be subject to evaluation by the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC).

Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, said the document on the monorail project has been submitted to NEDA by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia has committed to fast track the evaluation for the project, Dino said. He met with Pernia last Saturday, January 25, in Manila.

Secretary Dino added that the NEDA-ICC Technical Board would review the project by the second or third week of February. After the review, it will be submitted to NEDA ICC’s Cabinet Committee.

“Secretary Pernia who also happens to have a Cebuano blood, wants to fast track Cebu’s monorail project, seeing it as an urgent need for Cebuanos,” Secretary Dino reiterated.

The monorail project is part of Cebu’s Integrated Inter-modal Transport System (IITS) which includes bus rapid transit, point-to-point buses, cable car system, modern jeepneys, bikeways, and urban realm enhancement or walkways among others.

The proposed monorail from an unsolicited proposal will have the capacity of a light rail transit (LRT) and can accommodate 12,000 to 15,000 passengers per direction, per hour.

Udenna Infrastructure Corporation and its foreign partner have been granted the original proponent status for Cebu’s monorail last year. Cebu’s monorail is pegged to cost P78.9 billion.

Udenna’s proposal calls for the construction of two monorails, the Central Line from Talisay City to Talamban, Cebu City, and another line from Cebu City to the Mactan Cebu International Airport, passing through Mandaue City. /bmjo