The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is preparing to solicit bids from private sector groups for the development and operation of the country’s inaugural cable car system.
In an interview on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista stated, “We want solicited [bidding] for the cable car [project].”
The DOTr recently announced the Antipolo Cable Car project, which will connect the MRT-4 Taytay Station to Antipolo City.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan noted that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded the project’s pre-feasibility study, which was completed earlier this year. The ADB is also financing the detailed feasibility study, set to evaluate project costs and passenger capacity.
The detailed feasibility study is expected to commence in 2025, with project bidding scheduled to follow in 2026. Bautista mentioned that the feasibility study will take approximately one year.
The Transportation Secretary emphasized that the study will ensure the cable car project meets “investment grade” standards.
In 2021, the previous administration reported that the proposed $100-million Manila Urban Car Cable Project was awaiting approval from the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).
Last December, the Quezon City government disclosed that a French company had proposed cable cars as a solution to traffic congestion. Their two-year study indicated that establishing a cable car corridor along the Marikina River, which spans Marikina City, Quezon City, and Pasig City, is feasible.
Additionally, in June, Japan’s Zip Infrastructure was tasked with assessing the feasibility of a cable car system in Baguio City’s Camp John Hay, as part of a partnership with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
Senator Robinhood Padilla has also suggested implementing cable cars to alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila, following calls from Senator JV Ejercito for enhancements to the mass transport system to tackle the country’s ongoing traffic challenges.