Transportation in the Philippines
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Land Transportation
Railways
Most are on Luzon, operated by the Philippine National Railways. The main line is from Manila south to the Bicol Region. The railways' narrow gauge (1067 mm), 492 km (an additional 405 km are not in operation) (2001)
Elevated Mass Railway Systems (Greater Manila Area)
- Light Rail Transit (LRT-1/Metrorail/Yellow Line), from Monumento, Caloocan City to Baclaran, Parañaque City.
- Light Rail Transit (LRT-2/Megatren/Purple Line), from Marikina City to Avenida, Manila.
- Mass Rail Transit (MRT-3/Metrostar Express/Blue Line), from North Avenue, Quezon City to Taft Avenue, Pasay City.
Highways
- total: 199,950 km
- paved: 39,590 km
- unpaved: 160,360 km (1998 est.)
Main Highways
- Pan Philippine Highway (Maharlika Highway)
- North Luzon Expressway, from Quezon City in Metro Manila to Santa Ines, Pampanga.
- South Luzon Expressway, from Taguig in Metro Manila to Calamba City in Laguna.
- Skyway, an elevated tollway that complements with the South Luzon Expressway and runs from Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. in Makati City to Bicutan, Parañaque City
- Manila-Cavite Expressway (Coastal Road), from Parañaque City in Metro Manila to Bacoor, Cavite
- Manila North Road (MacArthur Highway)
Pipelines
petroleum products 357 km
Water Transportation
Ports and Harbors
The main gateway to the Philippines through the sea is in the Port of Manila and the Eva Macapagal Port Terminal, also in Manila. Other cities with bustling ports and piers include Batangas City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Davao City, Guimaras Island, Iligan, Iloilo, Jolo, Legaspi, Lucena, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic Bay Freeport, Zamboanga, Matnog, Allen, Ormoc, and Dalahican. Most of these terminals comprise the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, where you can go to the different islands of the country via the Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) ships coming to and from Manila even with your own land vehicle.
Merchant marine
total: 480 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,973,024 GRT/9,025,087 DWT
Ships by type
Bulk 159, cargo 122, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 9, container 7, liquified gas 13, livestock carrier 9, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off 19, short-sea passenger 32, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 20 (1999 est.) note: a flag of convenience registry: Japan owns 19 ships, Hong Kong 5, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Netherlands 1, Singapore 1, and UK 1 (1998 est.)
Waterways
3,219 km; limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m) vessels
Air Transportation
Airports
Quantity: 266 (1999 est.)
- with paved runways: 76
- over 3,047 m: 4
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
- 914 to 1,523 m: 31
- under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)
- with unpaved runways: 190
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
- 914 to 1,523 m: 66
- under 914 m: 121 (1999 est.)
- International Gateways
- Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila)
- Mactan-Cebu International Airport (Cebu City)
- Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao City)
- Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark Special Economic Zone, Pampanga)
- Subic Bay International Airport (Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales)
- Laoag International Airport (Laoag, Ilocos Norte)
- Zamboanga International Airport (Zamboanga City)
Heliports
Quantity: 1 (1999 est.)
Airlines
- Philippine Airlines (national flag carrier)
- Air Philippines
- Cebu Pacific
- Asian Spirit
- South East Asian Airlines (Seair)
- Laoag International Airlines
History
1940's
Vehicles
During this period, there were 50,000 automobiles in the region. The carabao was used as a primary transportation source.
Railways
There were 1,400 km of narrow-gauge track, owned by either the Maniacutela Railway Company (based on Luzon) or the Philippine Railway Company (an American company based in Panay and Cebu). 1,130 km of these tracks were on Luzon, with about 50% of this amount located in the central plain. In addition, there were some 400 km of privately-owned track in the central plain of Luzon. All of this, with the exception of a stretch above Manila, was single-track.
Roads
There were 22,960 km of highway in the Philippine archipelago. More than half of these roads were in central and southern Luzon and three major highways of this island were, and probably still are, Routes 1, 3, and 5. These routes were two-lane roads with concrete or asphalt surfacing. Each of these 3 roads enters the capital, Manila, and their access roads linked the various parts of the island.