Bill seeks to create railway agency

A LAWMAKER has filed a bill that would create a regulating authority for railways nationwide.  

House Bill No. 8510 aims to “rationalize and streamline the regulatory functions over railways by creating a single and unified regulatory body,” Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said in the bill’s explanatory note.  

The proposed agency will be called the Railways Industry Authority of the Philippines.  

Ms. Herrera-Dy cited the Philippine Development Plan, which identifies key challenges to transport connectivity and safety including poor infrastructure, inconsistent regulation, and inefficient operations.  

The bill also proposes to create the Railways Industry Board, with the Transportation secretary as chair. The board will also have a representative from the private sector.   

The proposed body will be in charge of issuing and revoking certificates and franchises for railway infrastructure.   

If enacted into law, the regulatory body would take in the powers and functions of the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Philippine National Railways. It will be an agency attached under the Transportation department.    

Funding will come from the national budget. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz