First Phase of Mindanao Railway Project to Cut Tagum to Digos Travel Time from 3.5 to 1.3 Hours

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) today said that the 102-km Mindanao Railway Project: Tagum-Davao-Digos (MRP-TDD) segment is expected to reduce travel time from Tagum City, Davao del Norte to Digos City, Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours once it starts operating in 2022.

The MRP-TDD segment is the first of the 3 segments of the Mindanao Railway Project. The design and construction of the Project will begin by 3rd quarter of next year and is expected to be completed by end of 2021.

“The P35.91 billion MRP-TDD will make travel time faster by two (2) hours, with frequency of trips of up to 6 trains per hour,” says DOTr Undersecretary for Rails, Cesar Chavez.

The MRP-TDD is expected to not only make travel faster, but also safer, more convenient and comfortable for passengers in the said corridor. It will have 8 stations, namely: Tagum; Carmen; Panabo; Mudiang; Davao Terminal; Toril; Sta. Cruz; and Digos. A 10-hectare depot will be built in Tagum.

The rail line will be built with a single track, with provisions for future tracks and electrification. It will have six 5-car passenger trains (Diesel Multiple Units) with 3 spare cars, 4 locomotives and 15 freight cars.

Upon project completion, the DOTr expects the daily ridership of the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment to increase to 134,060 by 2022. The Department projects the daily ridership to further increase to 237,023 by 2032 and 375,134 by 2042.