MANILA, April 2 -- The committee created to streamline the process of land acquisition will accelerate big-ticket rail projects in the country due to several right-of-way (ROW) challenges of such projects.

In a statement on Tuesday, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said the Inter-Agency Committee for ROW Activities for National Railway Projects was created by President Ferdinand R. Marcos under Administrative Order (AO) 19.

"It will help us bring back the glory days of the Philippine Railway system," Bautista said.

Under AO 19, the committee is tasked to study and devise an efficient and collaborative mechanism to streamline the process of land acquisition necessary for the implementation of all railway proj...