4 North-South Railway contracts awarded

0
1643
Artist rendering of a South Commuter Railway station. Image courtesy of the Department of Transportation.
  • The first four civil works contract packages for the Manila-Calamba section of the North-South Commuter Railway System have been awarded
  • These packages include construction of 31.5 km of railway viaducts, nine elevated stations, and one railway depot covering the Muntinlupa-Calamba NSCR section
  • The joint venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd. bagged three packages
  • The fourth contract package for the Calamba depot was awarded to the joint venture of Lotte Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd., Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş., and EEI Corporation
  • The contracts were signed on October 6 after the bidding participated in by six Philippine and 17 international companies

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has awarded the first four civil works contract packages totaling US$1.87 billion for the Manila-Calamba section of the 147.3-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System.

These initial contract packages financed by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will include the construction of 31.5 km of railway viaducts, nine elevated stations, and one railway depot for the Muntinlupa-Calamba section of the South Commuter Railway Project, which is part of the NSCR.

After an internationally open competitive bidding process and review by the ADB, three contract packages, namely CPs S-04, S-05 and S-06, were awarded to the joint venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd.

The fourth contract package, CP S-07, was awarded to the joint venture of Lotte Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd., Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş., and EEI Corporation.

During the contract signing on October 6, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said the ambitious NSCR Project “will bring back the culture of rail transport in the Philippines.”

“Today is the next significant step in that direction,” Bautista said, adding that the project will elevate the country’s transportation system to global standards.

The transportation chief also underscored the socio-economic benefits Filipinos will gain from the massive project after its completion, including the 110,000 direct and indirect jobs it will create.

“This railway will offer safe, affordable, convenient, and comfortable transport to Filipinos, while accelerating the country’s economic rebound,” Bautista said.

The packages and their coverage:

  • CP S-04 covers the building and civil engineering works for about 8.5 km of railway viaduct structure including elevated stations at Alabang and Muntinlupa.
  • CP S-05 covers the building and civil engineering works for about 12.8 km of railway viaduct structure including elevated stations at San Pedro, Pacita, Biñan, and Santa Rosa.
  • CP S-06 covers the building and civil engineering works for around 10.2 km of railway viaduct structure including elevated stations at Cabuyao, Banlic, and Calamba.
  • CP S-07 covers the building and civil engineering works for the 22-hectare Calamba depot.

A record of six Philippine and 17 international companies participated in the bidding, DOTr said in a statement.

CP S-04 and CP S-06 received seven bids each while CP S-05 and CP S-07 received six bids each.

The remaining ADB-financed civil works contract packages will be awarded soon. It will cover the Manila (Blumentritt) to Muntinlupa portion of the NSCR, DOTr noted.

The P777 billion 147.26 km NSCR stretches from Clark International Airport (CRK) to Calamba, Laguna and will cut across 28 cities and municipalities in the Central Luzon, National Capital Region, and CALABARZON regions.

The project is co-financed by ADB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Construction is underway in the CRK-Valenzuela section while work on the Muntinlupa-Calamba section will begin this year.

The entire NSCR will have 35 stations, three depots, 51 commuter trains, and seven express train sets. DOTr said the entire system will be completed in March 2029.

Once operational, the NSCR System will reduce travel time from Clark to Calamba to two hours and will serve an estimated 800,000 passengers daily.