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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday signed P85 billion in construction contracts for a key phase of the 148-kilometer North-South Commuter Rail (NSCR) system in Luzon, a major infrastructure project moving forward under Duterte’s administration. .
The department conducted virtual signing ceremonies with Filipino and international contractors for the Clark Phase 2 of the Philippine National Railways (PNR), also known as the Malolos-Clark Rail Project, which was part of the NSCR.
This phase extends for 54 km and will have the so-called airport express service, since it will create a rail link between Metro Manila and Clark International Airport in Pampanga by 2025.
In his remarks Thursday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade called the NSCR the largest project within the government’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program.
“This administration will stand firm and firm in turning this rail project into a living reality,” Tugade said.
During the event, three contract packages were signed.
The first is with the partnership between Megawide Construction Corp., Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Co. Ltd.
With a value of P28.4 billion, this package covers 17 km in the towns of Malolos and Calumpit in Bulacan and in the towns of Apalit and Minalin in Pampanga.
“We have strong and extremely competent partners in Hyundai and Dong-ah, from whom we will be able to learn and build on our learnings as we pursue more projects in this space,” said Edgar Saavedra, president and CEO of Megawide, in a statement. .
Package n. 2 was signed with the company between Acciona Construction Philippines and Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd.
With a value of P33.7 billion, this will cover 16 km in the cities of Minalin, Sto. Tomas and San Fernando in Pampanga.
The final package was signed with Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd. It has a value of P22.78 billion and covers 12 km in the cities of San Fernando, Angeles and Mabalacat in Pampanga.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said construction on these segments was scheduled to begin before the end of 2020 and that the department was targeting partial operations by 2023 before full completion in five years.
NSCR is being financed with loans provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
ADB Director General for Southeast Asia, Ramesh Subramaniam, said during signing ceremonies that the three packages alone would create more than 25,000 jobs over the next three years.
He said the project was also timely in creating jobs amid the economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These civil works contracts will help accelerate the Philippines’ economic recovery over the next 12 to 24 months,” said Subramaniam.
The NSCR will eventually encompass 37 stations, 464 train cars in 26 cities and municipalities of Luzon. It can serve some 830,000 passengers daily once it is operational and has provisions for future expansion.
It includes the PNR Clark Phase 1, a 38 km line from Tutuban in Manila to Malolos Bulacan. The segment, which now has a completion rate of 40.48 percent, is expected to be partially operational by December 2021.
The final section is the PNR Calamba of 56 km from Solís, Manila to Calamba, Laguna. The segment now has a progress rate of 20.42 percent.
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