The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is confident in launching the country’s first cable car system, the Antipolo Cable Car Project, by 2028.
Transport Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development, Timothy John R. Batan, said the project will connect the MRT-4 Taytay station to Antipolo City.
“We know that Antipolo is very dense and has lots of residents and economic activity, so it will be complementary to connect the MRT-4 to Antipolo City,” Batan said.
The Asian Development Bank funded the cable car project’s pre-feasibility study which was completed earlier this year.
“The project appears viable. The next step is the detailed feasibility study which the ADB is also financing,” Batan said.
The detailed feasibility study, which will determine project cost and passenger capacity, is expected to commence in 2025 while the project bidding will likely take place in 2026.
“It’s our first cable car project. We were told that it will take up to two years to build. If we award the contract in 2026, it will be operational in 2028,” Batan said.
The government is seeking a $1-billion loan from the ADB to finance the mass transport system that will run from San Juan City to Taytay in Rizal province.
The 15.56-kilometer MRT-4, with 11 stations, two other provisional stations and a barrier-free design to allow inclusive access, is designed to address the transport bottleneck along Ortigas Avenue.
The MRT-4 trains costing P59.3-billion has maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour but its commercial speed is only 25 kilometers to 40 kilometers an hour.
The railway will cut across the cities of Mandaluyong, San Juan, Quezon, Pasig and the municipalities of Cainta and Taytay in Rizal, addressing the massive traffic problem and limited road capacities in the densely populated areas of eastern Metro Manila.
It is expected to serve 4,464 passengers at peak and 2,678 passengers an hour off-peak with an estimated travel time of 27 minutes from N. Domingo in San Juan City to Taytay, Rizal. The daily ridership is expected to reach 328,804 by 2030.
