The bullet train from Manila to Davao

Nagano, Japan—Riding the “shinkansen”—popularly known outside Japan as “bullet train”—is always an awe-inspiring experience, and thanks to various JR rail passes, I have been able to travel across this beautiful country over the years, from Hokkaido and Tokohu to Shikoku and Kyushu. My main goal (or excuse) to do has been climbing all of the “Hyakumeizan” or 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, and in this trip, I’ve reached the milestone of completing half of this veritable list.

There are many things to love about the shinkansen, and many of them involve superlative terms. First, safety: It is one of the safest trains in the world, having had zero fatalities among its over 10 billion passengers since its establishment back in 1964, even amid Japan’s earthquakes and typhoons.

Second, its reliability: The trains will leave at exactly their scheduled time—almost to the second—and a few minutes’ delay will merit a profuse apology.

Then there’s the comfort and convenience from waiting rooms, free toilets in the stations (unlike in Europe), shops in the shinkansen areas of the train stations, and the seats themselves are quite comfortable. What’s more, there’s Wi-Fi and power sockets, making it perfect for light writing, and I’ve written quite a number of my columns, at least in part, while aboard, including (as you may have guessed) this one.

But perhaps, beyond the convenience, safety, and predictability, it is the sheer speed of the trains that’s something to marvel. From Nagano to Tokyo—the distance from Baguio to Manila—it can astoundingly take just a little over an hour, and from Fukuoka to Hakodate—which is even longer than the distance from Manila to Davao—it just takes over 10 hours. The speed of the shinkansen is such that I could literally choose to travel to a different weather condition during my hiking trips.

While I marvel at this system that’s been around for 60 years, I cannot help but think of our public transport back home. Will we ever achieve a similar infrastructure? Will I ever be able to ride a high-speed train from Manila to Davao?

Engineering-wise, there is no fundamental technical or technological impediment to physically connect Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with a train network through bridges and tunnels, in the same way that Japan managed to bridge the Tsugaru Strait to connect Honshu and Hokkaido through the 53.8-kilometer Seikan Tunnel, which was opened in 1988. Regionally speaking, high-speed trains themselves are no longer confined to Japan; with South Korea, Taiwan, and China all having their networks, among other countries. Last year, Indonesia opened its first high-speed train service, cutting travel time from Jakarta to Bandung from three hours to just 45 minutes, with plans to extend the line to Surabaya.

Of course, there is a question of sheer economic cost; surely such an undertaking would amount to billions—and in loans—but the benefits are also great and perhaps even more so, not just in terms of economic productivity and commercial connectivity, but in terms of quality of life, social cohesion, urban decentralization, and environmental sustainability (if done right as part of a broader plan for inclusive mobility). Alas, as our transportation experts routinely remind us, we have followed the United States’ car-centric model, and today even the US is none the better for it.

Historically, moreover, we actually had a far more extensive train network than today that would have served an infrastructural antecedent. Aside from the Luzon lines that connected La Union and Bicol, before World War II there was a Cebu line that ran from Argao to Danao, as well as a Panay Line that linked La Paz and Jaro with Roxas City. Even after the war, the Luzon railways were functional and perhaps an observer in the 1960s would have seen the Philippines as being on track to follow Japan’s lead in high-speed rail. The reasons are complex for the demise of our railways but underinvestment, natural disasters, as well as sheer corruption and mismanagement surely derailed our progress.

Since then, politicians have touted railway projects as part of their infrastructure promises, but none have materialized, perhaps partly because the projects take longer than political lifetimes. “We shall pursue … the Mindanao Railway Project,” as then President Rodrigo Duterte said back in his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) in 2016. “In six years … I assure you, it’s going to materialize.”

Fortunately, there seems to be a renewed effort to push to resurrect railways in the Philippines, with President Marcos speaking of a “railway renaissance” in his latest Sona, and with talk of Luzon and Mindanao Railway projects, and even a “30-year railway master plan” to be released this year.

Alas, the current baseline is so low that even having a train service from Lucena to Manila, Cagayan de Oro to Iligan, or General Santos to Davao would be a great leap forward.

But Filipinos deserve better, and we should act as if it is not beyond the realm of possibility that someday, we can ride a train from Manila to Davao, look out the window while en route to Bicol, and admire, in lieu of Mount Fuji, beautiful Mount Mayon.

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glasco@inquirer.com.ph