Philippine Railway Institute


The Philippine Railway Institute is a rail transportation research and training center in the Philippines. It deals with research and development on the management, operation, and maintenance of railways and training of personnel in the rail transportation industry.

History

The Philippine Railway Institute was set up as joint initiative of the Philippine and Japanese governments. The institute's establishment was funded through a grant of from the Japanese government. The curriculum of the PRI was approved in February 2019 during a meeting between the Department of Transportation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency after the groundbreaking of the Metro Manila Subway system. The PRI's first set of personnel were trained in Japan, also through a grant of the Japanese government through batches within the period of July to December 2019.
The PRI was formalized through presidential decree by President Rodrigo Duterte, particularly through Executive Order No. 96 which was signed on November 21, 2019. The PRI was established as a research and training center and was placed under the supervision of the DOTr.

Administration

The PRI is to be headed by an executive director which holds a rank of undersecretary and should have a relevant master's degree and experience in the transportation capacity development.

Role

The Philippine Railway Institute is a human resources research center on rail transportation industry in the Philippines. It has two phases: as a learning institution and as a certification body. It is also planned that the institute will be an issuer of licenses for railway drivers and engineers in the Philippines.