The North Philippine Dry Port Container Rail Transport Service is a freight rail service which aims to connect the Port of Manila to a dry port in North Luzon. The rail line will run along the PNR right-of-way. It will have two freight terminals on each side of the corridor – one in Manila Port and the other in Balagtas, Bulacan. The dry port will provide services for containerized cargo and agribulk going to and from Northern Luzon.
The Joint Venture of SYSTRA Philippines, Inc. and Mrail Inc. was engaged by the National Economic and Development Authority in 2019 for the conduct of the feasibility study of the North Philippine Dry Port Container Rail Transport Service. The study includes the following, among others:
- Traffic demand analysis and forecast;
- Alignment assessment;
- Preliminary design (rail and dry port);
- Project cost assessment (includes capital investment, operations and maintenance expenses, and other related costs);
- Preliminary social impact assessment;
- Financial and economic analysis;
- Legal and institutional assessment; and
- Risk assessment.
