MANILA (Reuters), The Asian Development Bank approved a loan up to $4.3B for a railroad project in the Philippines. It is a crucial boost for their ageing railway infrastructure.

The Philippines only had 77 kilometers of railway in operation as of 2016. This is a significant improvement on the 1,100 km (683.5 mile) that was available prior to World War II.

Ahmed Saeed, vice president of ADB said that the 55-kilometer South Commuter Railway project was the largest ADB infrastructure loan in Asia and Pacific.

This project will reduce travel time from 2.5 hours to just 1.5 hours between Manila, Philippines and Calamba City in Laguna Province. Japan International Cooperation Agency funds the rolling stock as well as railway systems.

According to the statement, all ADB-financed infrastructure, including civil works to construct the railway viaduct and 18 stations, as well as bridges and tunnels to connect them, will be built to be resilient to disasters. They can also withstand earthquakes.

The Manila-based lender has committed to funding a $2.5 Billion railway line that will run north of Manila in 2019, which is under construction.

Under President Rodrigo Duterte, two railway projects were successfully completed. Six more are in progress and six others have not yet started construction. After completion of the project, 1,209km will be built in the Philippines.