6 firms vie to build Clark Airport-Depot segment of PNR Clark 2

FILE: Groundbreaking ceremony for PNR Clark Phase 1 (Photo: Department of Transportation – Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — The massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project continues to draw a significant number of proposals from here and abroad, as Packages 4 and 5 of the PNR Clark Phase 2 attracted one local and five international companies.

Bid submission was held Monday (Oct. 14) at the office of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

Following the record turnout of 11 international and local bidders for Packages 1-3 in August, Department of Transportation Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan and Philippine National Railways General Manager Junn Magno noted that the sustained interest of proponents in the NSCR Project, as manifested in the level of participation for Packages 4 and 5, is continuing proof of the international infrastructure industry’s trust in the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

Jointly implemented by the DOTr and PNR, and procured through the PS-DBM, “the turnout of bidders for Packages 1-5 of PNR Clark Phase 2 is proof that competition and value for taxpayers’ money are enhanced with a bidding process that is transparent, fair, and corruption-free,” Batan said.

“The vibrant turnout of proponents yet again for Contract Packages 4 and 5 reflects the solid support and trust of the international infrastructure industry in the Duterte administration. With a robust competition, we also raise the standard of quality of our infrastructures that shall, in the end, best serve the Filipino people,” Magno added.

The NSCR Project — a mega railway network spanning 148 kilometers with 37 stations — is worth PHP777.55 billion. It is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

It notably remains to be both the ADB’s fastest rail project implementation and recipient of its largest financing — further proof of the trust that the international development finance community has extended to President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise of delivering the Philippines’ Golden Age of Infrastructure.

PNR Clark Phase 2 is a 53-kilometer segment from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga, which forms part of the NSCR. This rail line will feature the country’s first airport express railway service.

Package 4 consists of 8 kilometers and includes Clark International Airport Station. Package 5, meanwhile, consists of the NSCR’s Clark Depot.

Companies that participated in the bidding are Acciona (Spain), EEI (Philippines), GS Engineering & Construction (Korea), Posco Engineering & Construction (Korea), PT Waskita (Indonesia), and PT Wika (Indonesia).

PNR Clark Phase 2 is targeted for partial operations by 2022. This rail line will reduce travel time between Malolos, Bulacan and Clark International Airport to just 30-35 minutes; and from Buendia in Makati to Clark Airport from two hours via car to just 55 minutes through the airport express.

It aims to serve 340,000 passengers daily in its opening year.

Before 2019 ends, more contract packages are scheduled for bid submission and publication.

These include bid submission for PNR Calamba Package 1 (1 kilometer including Blumentritt Station) on Nov. 5, 2019, and the start of bidding for the NSCR’s 304 commuter train cars, 56 airport express train cars, and electromechanical Systems within the last quarter of 2019.