The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is preparing to launch a more comprehensive feasibility study next year that would help determine the capacity and cost of the country’s first cable car system planned to be operational by 2028.
Transportation Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development Timothy John R. Batan said on Friday that the planned system, dubbed the Antipolo Cable Car Project, will connect the Taytay station of MRT-4 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 MRT-4 to Antipolo City,” Batan said.
According to Batan, the DOTr will start the detailed feasibility study funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) next year.
If the plan follows the timeline, a project bidding is likely to take place by 2026.
"It's our first cable car project, and we were told that it will take up to two years of construction. If we can award the contract in 2026, it is possible to be operational in 2028," Batan said.
The ADB also funded the cable car project's pre-feasibility study, which was finished earlier this year.
The government has long been exploring ways to introduce cable cars in the country.
Last year, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Malaysian firm Hartasuma Sdn Bhd signified their intention to introduce new transportation modes in the country that would help ease gridlock conditions, including cable cars and monorails.
