The Mindanao Railway, previously known as the Trans-Mindanao High Speed Railway, is a proposed railway system in Mindanao, the southernmost major island of the Philippines. Originally proposed in 1936 as part of Manuel L. Quezon's efforts to strengthen the presence of Commonwealth government in Mindanao against the rising influence of Imperial Japan before World War II, the line was shelved. Other proposals and studies were made in the 1950s, 1990s, and the 2000s, but never materialized. The current line began development in 2018; however, construction has yet to start.
The system will be constructed as a network long in its present form, totalling of track, with the centerpiece being a circumferential mainline that connects some of the major cities of the island. An east–west radial mainline will also be built to the Zamboanga Peninsula, and a number of other radial lines will serve as branch lines. As with other projects of the Philippine National Railways, the Mindanao Railway will be constructed in phases covering segments of various lengths.
The first phase, the Tagum–Digos segment of the circumferential mainline, will be the first section to be constructed. This segment was initially set to be partially opened by 2022, with the rest of its 17 segments being completed by the 2030s , but the entire project has been beset by delays with funding and construction. An official development assistance (ODA) loan from China was planned for funding most of the project; however, the Philippine government backed out of pursuing it in 2023. While the project is still stalled, the government is starting again on the project in 2024. A fresh feasibility study was conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Another proposal is the second phase (originally Phase 3), or the Northern Mindanao Railway, a 54.8-kilometer high-capacity line connecting Cagayan de Oro, connecting the municipalities of Laguindingan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, which is under study from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center.
History Historical railways
The first attempt to construct a rail line in Mindanao was made in the 1890s, when the Spanish colonial government attempted to build a Decauville railway between Iligan and Marawi. However, this was never finished.
Not long after, a series of narrow-gauge railroads were opened by the American government in Mindanao. These short lines were constructed to transport supplies and United States Army personnel. A line was opened in Camp Keithley in what is now Marawi where trains carried war materiel on flatcars. A gauge short line was also opened in Jolo, Sulu.
The best-documented system built by the government was the single-track line of the Davao Penal Colony in Davao del Norte. The prison was established in 1932 by the American government. It was converted into a facility for American POWs after its occupation by Imperial Japanese Army forces in 1942. Davao Penal Colony survivor Raymond C. Heimbuch wrote in his book that the line suffered from poor condition of the rolling stock and lack of maintenance of the tracks. There were 40 flatcars and a sole diesel locomotive, which replaced a steam locomotive whose tender survived after the war. The diesel locomotive would pair with 5 or 6 flatcars that carried prisoners, sacks of rice, or forestry products. The train took a 45-minute trip per way. According to an interview with POW survivor Hayes Bolitho in 2009, the line is estimated to be long. He also commented that prisoners were forced to push the train in case of rain or when ascending steep grades due to the poor conditions of the tracks. A few years after the war, a two-car train welcomed the party of then-president Elpidio Quirino during his visit to the area.
At the same time, local plantations and lumber mills also built their own systems during the 1920s and the 1930s, typically serving freight trains from the production facilities to a port. At Port Lamon, Surigao del Norte, trains carried timber from the jungle and sawmill to the pier. One Class B Shay locomotive was used by the Kolambugan Lumber and Development Company of Lanao del Norte during the 1920s and the 1930s. In Malabang, Lanao del Sur, a local company also ran freight trains through the town during the 1930s. In Misamis Oriental, the Anakan Lumber Company operated Heisler locomotives in the town of Gingoog during the 1920s and 1930s.
These short lines were either destroyed during World War II or dismantled (the Davao Penal Colony line was dismantled due to its condition sometime after President Quirino's visit). The metal used was then sold to the Chinese black market due to the high market value of iron there. Despite closures of local freight railroads due to the rise of truck traffic, one line was established in the Davao Region by the Tagum Agricultural Development Company (TADECO). It started operations in 1950 and had two diesel locomotives that hauled abacá and Cavendish banana produce. The locomotives were decommissioned and stored in 2010.
Initial proposals
Proposals for the Mindanao Railway were published by the Daily Bulletin and The Far Eastern Review as early as August 1906. These proposed corridors include those surrounding Cotabato, Davao City, Lake Lanao, and Sulu. There were no proposed interconnections between these four lines due to the technology and rather low population density of the region during that time.
Then-president Manuel L. Quezon proposed the construction of an electrified railroad between Cagayan de Oro (then known as Misamis) and Davao City passing through the province of Bukidnon. It would have been electrified by overhead lines powered by the Maria Cristina Falls' hydroelectric power plant (now the Agus VI Hydroeletric Plant). This proposal was made in January 1936, and was taken note by Quezon's adviser Francis Burton Harrison. Some track bed construction began the same year, but the project was left incomplete without a single track placed when construction was halted in 1940. (Also available at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA).
After the war, Manila Railroad General Manager and later-Senator Prospero Sanidad proposed a standard-gauge railway in 1952 with consideration for a future electrified network. A network long was proposed for construction with the assistance of American firm De Leuw, Cather and Company.
The following lines were proposed, each at least long: Davao City – Kibawe, Bukidnon (100 km) Cagayan de Oro – Kibawe (140 km)—The route would have also passed by Malaybalay. Cotabato City – Kibawe (120 km)—A branch line would have passed by Parang, Maguindanao del Norte. Nasipit, Agusan del Norte – Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur (120 km)—A branch line would have passed by Butuan. Butuan – Surigao City (100 km) Davao City – Santa Josefa (110 km) Iligan – Kibawe (110 km)—A station would have also been built in the area of Dansalan. Makar – Midsayap, Cotabato (150 km)—The area referred in this study as Makar is now divided between General Santos and T'Boli, South Cotabato. Davao City – Makar (110 km) Bislig – Santa Josefa (50 km)—A branch of Segment 4.
According to this older plan, Kibawe (then known as Kibawa) and Davao City were the main hubs for the network. Although never realized, it influenced the right-of-way of the present Mindanao Railway proposal, particularly on the circumferential main line.
Mindanao and the Philippine National Railway When the Philippine National Railway (PNR) was created by virtue of Republic Act 4156 in 1964, establishment of a railway in Mindanao was made part of its mandate. Section 5 of the law explicitly stated that ₱50 million had been allocated for the survey and establishment of a railway on the island. When Republic Act 4156 was superseded by Republic Act 6366 in 1971, the same explicit mandate to create a Mindanao Railway, under the PNR, remained.
However, when the law enabling the PNR was amended by Presidential Decree 741 in July 1975, reference to a railway in Mindanao was omitted.
Return of the Mindanao Railway to the national agenda On December 15, 1992, Fidel Ramos signed Memorandum Circular No. 23 which directed the formulation of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan 1993–1998. Section 4.4.2 of this plan focused on Transportation. Sub-paragraph "M" called for a feasibility study for the Mindanao Railway under a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) arrangement.
From the Mindanao Railway System Task Force to the Mindanao Railway Project Office President Joseph Estrada created the Presidential Committee on Flagship Programs and Projects to identify projects for the administration. On October 7, 1998, the committee directed the Philippine National Railways, Public Estates Authority, and the Southern Philippine Development Authority to conduct preparatory studies for the Mindanao Railway System.
On June 28, 1999, Estrada signed Administrative Order 74, series of 1999 which allocated ₱10 million to the Mindanao Rail System Task Force to, as stated in the order, "act as the clearing house for policy and operational issues affecting the implementation of the MRS Project".
However, on February 11, 2002—after Estrada's impeachment the year before—President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Executive Order 72, series 2002, which abolished the MRS Task Force. Later, however, Arroyo replaced the task force with another organization.
On May 25, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Executive Order 536 which created the Cebu Railway Project Office (CRPO) and the Mindanao Railway Project Office (MRPO) under the control of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). Both were charged formulating plans for, identifying funding mechanisms for, and developing railways in Metro Cebu and Mindanao, respectively.
Mindanao Strategic Railway Development Plan The government made numerous studies and technical assessments during the 1990s. In the early 2000s, the Mindanao Strategic Railway Development Plan was formulated. The planned railway, with a total length of , was designed to span the entire island in a loop and was estimated to cost ₱66.5 billion. The plan for a railway divided into four phases: Laguindingan to Cagayan de Oro, Cagayan de Oro to Tagoloan, Laguindingan to Iligan, and Iligan to Linamon. The network would have linked urban centers across the island and was aimed to cut the 90-minute travel time by bus between Cagayan de Oro and Iligan to 15–20 minutes. The project was slated to start construction in 2011, and Saudi Arabia expressed interest in funding the project. The project was later discontinued.
2010s As part of the updated 2011–2016 Philippine Development Plan, ₱400 million (US$8.85 million) was allotted for conducting feasibility studies to develop infrastructure projects such as railways and roads. In 2014, there were debates on whether the system would be privately managed or run by the Philippine National Railways, which intermittently operated inter-city rail services in Luzon at the time.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the National Economic and Development Authority conducted studies for the construction of a rail system in the island of Mindanao along with its partners starting in 2015. The proposal in 2015 resembled the 1952 right-of-way. The government planned to build the railway in six phases, with the first running from Iligan to Gingoog. A pre-proposal conference was conducted in 2015, but the railway was not included in the Public-Private Partnership program.
Development
Phase 1