Is the Philippines finally going to have a bullet train?
Well, according to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Martin Diño, it could happen sooner than we all think.
“On the sidelines of an inquiry by the House transportation committee, Diño told reporters that that the country’s first-ever bullet train would be built between Subic in Zambales and Clark in Pampanga,” notes Mark Merueñas on GMA News Online.
The report noted: “Diño said the bullet train project will be carried out through a public-private partnership with a Chinese company. He did not name the firm.”
Diño explained that the said discussions on the railway project would be part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China from Oct 18 to 21.
“Hopefully, magawa agad (it gets built right away),” Diño quipped.
The report pointed out that “high-speed trains usually operate at speeds of around 200 kilometers per hour (km/h), while Japan’s famous bullet trains or shinkansen can run at maximum speeds of more than 300 km/h.”
To get an idea of how fast that is, consider the fact that the trains of the Metro Rail Transit, Light Rail Transit, and Philippine National Railways run at average speeds of 40 km/h.
