The Department of Transportation (DOTr) proposed to reintroduce the railway system for Metro Cebu.

The proposal was presented by DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on 29 February 2024.

Dubbed as Metro Cebu Urban Transport Master Plan, the plan is to build a 67.5 kilometer underground passenger railway or subway system that will connect Carcar City in the south to Danao City in the north.

Cebu had it's railway system that connected Argao in the south to Danao in the north, but was severely damaged during the Second World War.

Batan told Garcia that the proposal is similar to the ongoing construction of the 33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway in the National Capital Region.

"We are excited about the possibility of another first... potentially the first subway that will be entirely financed by the local government through various funding strategies and without requiring national government funding," He told media.

"The beauty of the subway as first seen in the subway in Metro Manila is that between stations, we are tunneling underground and people don't even know that we are already building underground, and that is what we are planning to do in Cebu," Batan stressed.

Garcia proposed to DOTr that it allow Cebu LGUs to take on the implementation of the proposed project, while the DOTr will maintain supervisory control.

Under Metro Cebu Urban Transport Master Plan in 2019, the railway-based transport backbone was identified as a crucial transportation system to address Cebu's growing need for mass transit.

The proposed subway system aims to reduce traffic congestion and travel time, improve interconnection and passenger and commuter service, increase climate resiliency, and provide a more accessible public transportation for vulnerable groups and persons with limited mobility.

The Masterplan has two phases: Phase 1 will be the Urban Mass Rapid Transport (UMRT) Central Line that will connect Danao City, Compostela,Liloan, Consolacion, Mandaue City, Cebu City, Talisay City, Minglanilla, City of Naga, San Fernando, and Carcar City.

The Phase 2 will be UMRT Coastal Line that will connect Talisay City,Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City.

The Cebu Provincial Government shall introduce the project to private firms through it's Economic Enterprise Council (EEC) for a possible PPP collaboration, subject to the rules and regulations set by law.

The LGU implementing the project, the necessary permits and the cooperation of the LGUs involved will certainly expedite the execution and completion of the proposed subway project.

The Metro Cebu Urban Transport Master Plan was completed in 2019 and was formulated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).