ADB $1.75-B loan for south rail project up for board approval

THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) said it is scheduled to approve a $1.75-billion loan for the South Commuter Railway project, which will connect Tondo, Manila and Calamba, Laguna, by the fourth quarter.

“The Philippine government held successful biddings for civil works contracts for a combined 40.5 kilometers (km) of viaduct structures for the South Commuter Railway Project, a major flagship project the ADB is preparing for funding support for consideration by its Board of Directors in the fourth quarter of this year,” the bank said in a statement Monday.

The loan is the biggest ADB financing package for the Philippines this year.

The P344.6-billion south railway system is part of the flagship 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway System project, which will link Pampanga, Manila and Laguna by 2025.

It was also poised to become the country’s first airport express system since it will be connected to Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

During the bidding last week, the South Commuter Railway project, also referred to as the Philippine National Railways (PNR) project, attracted 34 bids from 17 international and six local companies wanting to take part in the construction of the railway system.

Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said the bidding attracted a “record-breaking turnout” from both Philippine and foreign companies. The government is planning to offer more contract packages for the project’s electromechanical systems and airport express train cars this quarter.

“We congratulate the Department of Transportation and PNR on the successful bidding turnout, which reflects robust local and global interest and confidence in the Philippines’ ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure development program and for a strong post-pandemic economic recovery,” ADB Philippine Country Director Kelly Bird said in the statement.

“We are pleased to partner with the Philippine government in this transformative project that will have substantial multiplier effects on the economy and regional development,” he added.

The bank is planning to lend the government $3.9 billion this year.

The south rail transport system is also linked to another ADB-funded project, the 53-km Malolos-Clark Railway Project, for which the bank extended $2.75 billion worth of financing in May 2019.

The North-South Commuter Railway line was co-financed by the ADB and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It will have 37 stations and 464 train cars or 58 trains sets, which includes airport express trains.

The system, with capacity of up to 1 million passengers daily, is expected to cut the travel time between Clark airport and Calamba, Laguna to 1.5 hours, from four hours currently.

In 2019, JICA also lent the government P80 billion for the first phase of the North-South Commuter Railway system. — Beatrice M. Laforga

https://www.bworldonline.com/adb-1-75-b-loan-for-south-rail-project-up-for-board-approval/

ADB to finance South commuter railway

The government held successful biddings for civil works contracts for a combined 40.5 kilometers of viaduct structures for the South Commuter Railway Project, a major flagship project the Asian Development Bank is preparing for funding support for consideration by its board of directors in the fourth quarter.

The submission and opening of bids on July 14 to 15, which included contracts for elevated stations and a 22-hectare train depot, attracted a record 34 bids from a total of 23 local and international engineering and construction firms. ADB provided advisory services on the bidding process under its Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility.        

“We congratulate the Department of Transportation and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) on the successful bidding turnout, which reflects robust local and global interest and confidence in the Philippines’ ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure development program and for a strong post-pandemic economic recovery,” said ADB Philippines country director Kelly Bird.

The South Commuter Railway Project, also called PNR-Calamba, is a key component of the 147-km North–South Commuter Railway system that will reshape the country’s mass transportation network. It will cut travel time from the Clark International Airport in Pampanga province north of Metro Manila to Calamba City in the south from more than 4 hours to just 1.5 hours. The entire railway system is expected to carry up to 1 million passengers daily.

The project is included in ADB’s country operations business plan for the Philippines. It links to another ADB-funded railway, the Malolos–Clark Railway Project approved by ADB in May 2019, a modern, elevated railway line that will connect northern provinces to Metro Manila.

It will feature the country’s first airport express train, with the railway connecting to Clark International Airport. Five civil works contracts worth $2.5 billion under the project were awarded in 2020 and are now under implementation.

“We are pleased to partner with the Philippine government in this transformative project that will have substantial multiplier effects on the economy and regional development,” Bird said.

ADB said it is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.

https://manilastandard.net/mobile/article/360732

ADB prepares funding support for PNR Calamba

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is preparing its funding support for the P345-billion Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) Calamba project.

In a statement, the Manila-based multilateral financial institution said that funding for the 40.5 kilometer viaduct structures of PNR Calamba, also called South Commuter Railway Project, is up for “consideration” by the ADB Board in the fourth-quarter.

“We are pleased to partner with the Philippine government in this transformative project that will have substantial multiplier effects on the economy and regional development,” Kelly Bird, ADB Philippines country director said Monday, July 26.

PNR-Calamba is a key component of the 147-kilometer North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) system that aims to cut travel time from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba City from more than four hours to just 1.5 hours.

The NSCR system is expected to carry up to one million passengers daily.

Last July 14 to 15, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) held the submission and opening of bids for the civil work contracts that include elevated stations, viaduct structures, and a 22-hectare train depot for PNR Calamba.

A record 34 bids from 23 local and international engineering and construction companies vied for contract packages, DOTr said.

Six local players participated in the bidding that include D.M. Consunji Inc., EEI Corp., First Balfour Inc., Megawide Construction Corp., Prime Metro BMD Corp. and Santa Clara International Corp.

Seventeen foreign companies, meanwhile, submitted bids. These include Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Construction Co., Spain’s Acciona S.A. and China Construction First Group Corp.

Moreover, Chun Wo Construction (Hongkong), Leighton Contractors (Asia) Ltd. (Hongkong), DL Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Dong-ah Geological Engineering Co. Ltd. (South Korea), and GS Engineering and Construction Corp. (South Korea) also participated.

In addition, Lotte Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (South Korea), POSCO Engineering and Construction (South Korea), and Samsung Construction and Trading Corp. (South Korea).

The remaining foreign bidders were PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia), PT PP (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia), PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia), Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş. (Turkey) and Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. (Thailand).

“We congratulate the DOTr and the PNR on the successful bidding turnout, which reflects robust local and global interest and confidence in the Philippines’ Build, Build, Build infrastructure development program and for a strong post-pandemic economic recovery,” Bird said.

PNR Calamba is included in ADB’s country operations business plan for the Philippines.

It is also linked to another ADB-funded railway, the Malolos-Clark Railway that features the country’s first airport express train, with the railway connecting to Clark International Airport.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/26/adb-prepares-funding-support-for-pnr-calamba/

‘Build, Build, Build:’ Hits vs hype

When President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the nation in 2017, he promised that the following years would be the “golden age of infrastructure” in the Philippines that would “enhance our mobility and connectivity.”

Filipinos were introduced to “Build, Build, Build” (BBB), the package of flagship infrastructure projects that the President vowed to deliver before leaving office. Pouring massive resources into the development of the archipelago’s network of highways, farm-to-market roads, bridges, railways, seaports and airports made sense as they would create jobs and enhance countryside development.

But how many of these projects had been “Built, Built, Built” with less than a year left before Duterte steps down from Malacañang?

MINDANAO

Still waiting for bidders

In the president’s home region, the promised Mindanao Railway that aims to link the main southern island’s major cities and urban centers, has yet to leave the station more than four years after its launch.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the government was still waiting for the shortlist of bidders for its design and construction from the Chinese government to start the first phase of the project that would connect Digos City to the cities of Davao and Panabo.

Tugade said his department was “quietly” working to make this dream a reality. “This will push through,” he recently told the Davao City Disaster Radio, referring to the P81.69-billion project funded by an official development assistance from China.

“Once we receive that shortlist, we will immediately start the procurement and construction, which we hope will be this year,” he said.

55-km bike lanes

One of the 11 “high-impact” projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Davao region caught everyone’s attention for its early completion—a 55-km network of bicycle lanes that connects Metro Davao’s residential areas to its main hubs. It was started on Feb. 21 this year and was finished in June.

Tugade said the P150-million project would help the public cope with the reduced passenger load of public transportation during the pandemic.

GenSan airport

Not too far from Davao, the P1.09-billion upgrade of the General Santos City airport is now 96-percent complete and will be finished this year, making it capable of servicing inbound night flights, according to Joel Gavina, city manager of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The upgrade includes a boarding bridge so that passengers and crew no longer have to walk under the sun or the rain, which they had to endure over the past 25 years, to get to and from their planes.

“You can be proud of the airport’s facelift,” Gavina told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

VISAYAS

1 done out of 15

The Bohol-Panglao International Airport is the only completed BBB project of the 15 in the Visayas listed on the website of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

The P7.8-billion project began in 2015 during the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino III. It started operation on Nov. 27, 2018.

Three of six major infrastructures classified as “in the process of completion” were started by the previous administration: the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) in Calinog town in Iloilo, the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway.

Work on the three others—the P1.94-billion Boracay Circumferential Road, the Samar Pacific Coastal Road, and the New Panglao-Tagbilaran Offshore Bridge Connector — began after Mr. Duterte took office.

Yet to start

The following projects have yet to start: the fourth Cebu-Mactan Bridge and Coastal Road Construction Project; Cebu Monorail System; the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP); Bacolod-Silay International Airport expansion; Iloilo ports development; Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge; Kalibo International Airport development project; and Iloilo International Airport expansion.

The P11.2-billion JRMP Phase II in Iloilo’s Calinog town was 37.83 percent complete as of March 31.

Considered the biggest ongoing project in the region and the biggest dam outside Luzon, the JRMP is set to be completed in 2023, according to the National Irrigation Administration.

The Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge is back to the drawing board after its funding source, the Chinese government, backed out.

The International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Philippine Ports Authority to develop the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex and the Port of Dumangas in Iloilo. The ICTSI invested at least P8.7 billion for these projects.  

The upgrade of the Kalibo International Airport and the expansion of the Iloilo International Airport are awaiting approval from several government agencies.

The NCICP in Consolacion town is expected to break ground on Aug. 16. The P9.96-billion project will be financed through a $172.64-million loan agreement between the Philippines and the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

The government will start partial operations of its first BRT system in Cebu by December. The P16.3-billion World Bank-funded project will be fully operational in 2023.

The Cebu-Cordova Bridge, known as the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, or third bridge, is 80 percent complete as of July. Once finished, the 8-km bridge, which connects Cebu with Mactan Island, will be the longest in the Philippines.

Finished by 2024

The Negros highway, which will pass by the Bacolod-Silay Airport, will provide an alternate route from southern to northern Negros Occidental.

The project involves the opening, concreting, and widening of 38.8 km of roads, construction of 10 new bridges, slope protection works, and improvement of an existing 11.15-km road and six bridges, said DPWH-Western Visayas director Lea Delfinado.

It is set to be completed in December 2024, eight years after construction started in March 2016.

The Samar coastal road is 52.260 percent complete as of June 2021, according to the Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office (NSSDEO).

The P997.5-million project is funded through a loan from South Korea’s Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

Engineer Raul Nuqui of the Unified Project Management Cluster of NSSDEO said bad weather, shortage of construction materials, lack of manpower, and COVID-19 restrictions had hampered construction work.  

LUZON

Bicol International Airport

In Luzon, the Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Albay, which three presidents had listed as a flagship project, is set to be opened initially for domestic flights in December.

The BIA in Daraga town is envisioned as an international air hub that is projected to spur economic growth and boost tourism in the region.

Neda Bicol director Agnes Espinas Tolentino said 83 percent of civil works and 87 percent of overall physical work at the airport had been completed as of June.

The government has spent P3.9 billion on the BIA since 2009.

SLEX extension

The extension of the South Luzon Expressway from Santo Tomas, Batangas, to Lucena City in Quezon province is ongoing.

In Central Luzon and the Ilocos regions, the Duterte administration’s big-ticket infrastructure projects involve railways and the expansion of expressways.

A P50-billion 71-km Subic-Clark railway will be funded by Chinese companies. It is a component of the PNR Luzon System Development Framework that will provide freight service between Subic Bay Freeport and Clark Freeport, and link Subic Port to Clark International Airport and other major economic hubs in Central Luzon, especially New Clark City.

In January this year, the Philippines and China signed the project’s commercial contract, making it the “highest funded government-to-government project between the two countries.”

Clark-Bulacan-Manila link

Aside from the Subic-Clark Railway, a rail system will connect Clark to the City of Malolos in Bulacan and Manila.

The PNR Clark Phase 1 from Tutuban in Manila to Malolos was 46.68 percent complete as of June, according to Tugade.  

This 39-km segment, to be finished in 2024, is part of the North-South Commuter Railway project conceptualized during the Ramos administration.

The proposed P175.7 billion Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is expected to spur development in Bataan province and other parts of Central Luzon as well as neighboring cities in Metro Manila.

Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia told the Inquirer that the more than 32-km bridge would shorten the travel time between the two provinces from three hours to 30 minutes.

“This is a significant project that will benefit Bataan and Central Luzon because this will pave the way for more businesses to flourish,” said Garcia.

The DPWH opened this month portions of the 30-km Central Luzon Link Expressway between Tarlac City and Nueva Ecija.

In Northern Luzon, the last segment of the 88-km Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) was opened to motorists in July last year.

The expansion of TPLEx, a toll road operated by San Miguel Corp., was aimed at cutting an hour off the four-hour trip from Manila to Baguio City and other northern destinations.

—REPORTS FROM GERMELINA LACORTE, BONG SARMIENTO, NESTOR BURGOS JR., JOEY GABIETA, LEO UDTOHAN, CARLA GOMEZ, ADOR VINCENT MAYOL, MAR ARGUELLES, JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT, TONETTE OREJAS, GREG REFRACCION AND YOLANDA SOTELO

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1463866/build-build-build-hits-vs-hype

Metro Manila, 4 provinces under 'GCQ with heightened restrictions' to curb COVID-19 Delta's spread

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News

The National Capital Region and 4 other areas will be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) "with heightened restrictions," Malacañang said on Friday, after the Philippines confirmed local transmission of the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant. 

The following areas will be under GCQ with heightened restrictions from July 23 until 31, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque. 

NCR 

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

Davao De Oro

Davao Del Norte 

Under GCQ with heightened restrictions, indoor dine-in services are limited to 20 percent of venue or seating capacity, while al fresco or outdoor dine-in services are capped at 50 percent of capacity, the inter-agency task force on COVID-19 earlier said.

Personal care services, such as beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops, and nail spas, may operate up to 30 percent of capacity under this quarantine level. 

The inter-agency task force on COVID-19 earlier placed Iloilo province, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro, and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental under the strictest lockdown level, enhanced community quarantine, at least until the end of the month. 

Davao Del Sur will be downgraded to GCQ from its previous modified ECQ classification, starting July 23 until 31, Roque said. 

DELTA THREAT 

The Department of Health on Thursday reported 12 new local cases of the Delta variant, first emerged in India, bringing the Philippines' total cases of the strain to 47. 

"Clusters of Delta variant cases were seen to be linked to other local cases, therefore, exhibiting local transmission," the DOH said in a statement.

For context, the term "local transmission" is used if there is evidence that a local case has already transmitted the virus to another local case, Health Epidemiology Bureau Dir. Alethea De Guzman earlier said. 

Independent research unit OCTA also early Thursday said the spike of new infections in the capital region is likely driven by the Delta variant, which could signal the onset of a fresh surge. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Wednesday the Alpha and Beta variants, which first emerged in the United Kingdom and South Africa, respectively, were behind the relatively high cases in Metro Manila. 

PROTOCOLS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS 

To curb the spread of COVID-19 variants among inbound international travelers, the Bureau of Quarantine must identify the close contacts in the airplane or vessel of the confirmed patients, and closely monitor them, Roque said.

"Infection prevention and control protocols must likewise be strictly followed in all quarantine and isolation facilities," said Roque, who is also spokesman for the IATF. 

Local governments, he said, "must closely monitor for the appearance of any sign or symptom while arrivals are completing their quarantine and immediately conduct RT-PCR testing after detection of symptoms." 

"In addition, health assessment must be done for all arrivals at the end of isolation or quarantine period." 

To enable the safe continuity of economic activities, the IATF asked establishments to "consider developing and converting more outdoor spaces into temporary outdoor weekend markets and dining spaces and permanently accessible urban green spaces, outdoor recreational spaces and public sanitation facilities," said the Palace official.

Lastly, the IATF allowed foreign spouses, parents, and children of Filipino citizens with valid 9(a) visas to enter the Philippines, "without the need of an entry exemption document" from Aug. 1, Roque said. 

Philippine authorities have been scrambling to try and stop the Delta COVID-19 variant from spreading after this triggered a surge in infections across Southeast Asia. 

The Philippines has banned travelers from 10 countries until the end of July.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/23/21/metro-manila-ilocos-norte-ilocos-sur-davao-de-oro-davao-del-norte-gcq-with-restrictions-covid-delta-threat-iatf

P68.2-B MRT7 now 61% complete

The P68.2-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) is 60.93 percent complete and will partially operate in April 2022, over two decades after the project’s unsolicited proposal was submitted.

The 22-kilometer railway running from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan will be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday (July 22) announced.

Earlier, the DOTr projected MRT-7 will be partially operational by December 2021 and fully operational in December 2022 but has now set back the partial operations date by four months.

Once completed, the 14-station MRT-7 will reduce travel time between Quezon City and Bulacan from 2-3 hours to 35 minutes.

The mass transport system will accommodate 300,000 to 850,000 passengers daily.

Its Unsolicited Proposal was first submitted to the government in 2001 and the MRT-7 Concession Agreement was signed in 2008.

However, “not a single post has been built and not a single train has been delivered until mid-2016, under the Duterte Administration, according to the DOTr.

The DOTr is tripling its capital expenditure for 11 big-ticket railway infrastructure from P90.756 Billion this year to P278.3 Billion in 2022, at the end of the Duterte administration, with 8 projects either completed or partially operational.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/23/p68-2-b-mrt7-now-61-complete/

Government receives 34 bids for PNR-Calamba project

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said a total of 34 bids from six local companies and 17 international firms have been received for contract packages of the PNR-Calamba project which is targeted to start construction next year.

The bids received are for the construction of a combined 40.5 kilometers of viaduct structures, including 13 elevated stations and a 22-hectare train depot for the project.

The local companies that submitted their bids were D.M. Consunji Inc., EEI Corp., First Balfour Inc., Megawide Construction Corp., Prime Metro BMD Corp., and Santa Clara International Corp.

Meanwhile, companies from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Spain, and Japan also submitted their bids.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the impressive turnout of bidders for the PNR-Calamba project’s contract packages is proof of the infrastructure sector’s trust in the government’s Build Build Build infrastructure program.

“This record-breaking turnout of bidders is yet again an indication of the trust and confidence of both the local and international infrastructure sectors on the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program, which champions a transparent, fair, and efficient bidding process through a joint implementation by the DOTr, PNR, and the procurement service of the DBM,” Tugade said.

The opening of bids for more contract packages for the PNR-Calamba project is set later this year.

The agency expects over 10,000 direct jobs to be generated with the construction of the PNR-Calamba project which will commence next year.

PNR-Calamba will have 19 stations located across five cities in Metro Manila and six cities in Laguna.

The 56-kilometer railway project is expected to serve at least 340,000 passengers daily during its partial operations, while ridership is seen to increase up to 550,000 passengers once the railway is on full operation in 2028.

The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and with the official development assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

The PNR-Calamba project is part of the longer 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway System which has 35 stations stretching from Calamba in Laguna to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/07/23/2114382/government-receives-34-bids-pnr-calamba-project

PNR Calamba receives 34 bids for railway project

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Thursday a total of 34 bids were submitted for the contract packages of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Calamba Project. 

The 34 were from six Filipino companies and 17 foreign firms. They were bidding for six packages of the railway project. 

Local groups that submitted bids are: D.M. Consunji Inc.; EEI Corporation; First Balfour Inc.; Megawide Construction Corporation; Prime Metro BMD Corporation; and Santa Clara International Corporation. 

The foreign groups that participated in the auction are: China Construction First Group Corporation Ltd. (China); Chun Wo Construction (Hongkong); Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited (Hongkong); DL Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (South Korea); Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd. (South Korea); GS Engineering & Construction Corp. (South Korea); Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (South Korea); Lotte Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (South Korea); POSCO Engineering & Construction (South Korea); and Samsung Construction & Trading Corporation (South Korea).

These foreign groups also joined the bidding: PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia); PT PP (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia); PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia); Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş. (Turkey); Acciona, S.A. (Spain); Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. (Thailand); and  Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd. (Japan). 

“This record-breaking turnout of bidders is yet again an indication of the trust and confidence of both the local and international infrastructure sectors on the Duterte Administration’s Build Build Build Program, which champions a transparent, fair, and efficient bidding process through a joint implementation by the DOTr, PNR, and the Procurement Service of the DBM,” Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said.

Together, all six contract packages will see the development of 40.5 kilometers of viaduct structures, including thirteen elevated stations and a 22-hectare train depot.

Tugade said five more contract packages for the PNR Calamba Project are set for the opening of bids later this year. These include civil works packages for five stations, underground tunnel works, electromechanical systems and airport express train cars.

PNR Calamba is part of the larger 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project, which will stretch from Calamba, Laguna to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. When completed, it will be equipped with 464 train cars, and will cut travel time between Calamba and Clark to 1.5 hours from 4 hours. 

The railway program is funded by an official development assistance package from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). 

Currently, construction is “at full swing” for the northern segment, which involves 90 kilometers of rail and 16 stations. 

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/22/pnr-calamba-receives-34-bids-for-railway-project/

57% progress rate cited for LRT-1 Cavite Extension

The ₱64.9-billion Light Rail Transit (LRT)-1 Cavite Extension, which was delayed for two decades, has registered a 57 percent overall progress rate as of last month, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) today (July 20) reported.

The LRT-1 Cavite Extension was first approved by the NEDA Investment Coordination Committee approved the project on August 25, 2000 and the NEDA Board gave it the green light on January 22, 2002.

The Right of Way (ROW) acquisition started in 2007, with Congress giving budget for the project.

Based on the 4th attempt to implement the project and its 3rd NEDA Board approval in 2013, ROW acquisition for Phase 1 should have been completed in April 2015, Phase 2 in August 2015, and Phase 3 in March 2016.

However, when the Duterte Administration came in July 2016, none of the ROW was certified as “free and clear” by the project’s independent consultant.

After expediting the acquisition of ROW for Phase 1 in 2019, the DOTr, together with the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Light Rail Manila Corporation, started building the railway.

Now, it is almost 60 percent complete.

Once it operates, the rail line will reduce travel time between Baclaran and Niog, Bacoor, Cavite from one hour and 10 minutes down to 25 minutes and is projected to increase passenger capacity from 500,000 to 800,000 daily.

In addition, the project generated more than 1,600 jobs during its construction phase, with more to be created once it becomes operational.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/57-progress-rate-cited-for-lrt-1-cavite-extension/

PNR Calamba project draws 34 bidders

The ₱344.6 billion Philippine National Railways (PNR) Calamba Project, drew 34 bids from six Philippine companies and seventeen international firms, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) today (July 22) announced.

The bidders are vying for contract packages to build 40.5 kilometers of viaduct structure, including thirteen elevated stations and a 22-hectare train depot.

The government held the Bid Submission and Opening for Contract Packages S-01 and S-02, and Contract Packages S-04, S-05, S-06, and S-07 last week.

Foreign bidders included the China Construction First Group Corporation Ltd. From China) as well as Chun Wo Construction and Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited, both from Hong Kong.

A total of seven bidders came from South Korea: DL Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. • Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd.; GS Engineering & Construction Corp.; Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd.; Lotte Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd.; POSCO Engineering & Construction as well as Samsung Construction & Trading Corporation.

In addition, there were three bidders from Indonesia – PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk; PT PP (Persero) Tbk and PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk.

Another bidder was from Turkey, Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.S.; one from Spain, Acciona, S.A.; one from Thailand, Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. and one from Japan, Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd.

Furthermore, six local construction companies joined the fray: D.M. Consunji Inc., EEI Corporation, First Balfour, Inc., Megawide Construction Corporation,Prime Metro BMD Corporation and Santa Clara International Corporation.

The “impressive turnout of bidders” for the PNR Calamba Project’s contract packages is proof of the infrastructure sector’s trust in the government’s infrastructure program, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade pointed out.

“This record-breaking turnout of bidders is yet again an indication of the trust and confidence of both the local and international infrastructure sector,” he reiterated.

Another handful of contract packages for the PNR Calamba Project are set for bidding later this year.

The opening of bids for the project’s civil works packages S-03A, S-03B, and S-03C (construction of at-grade and viaduct structures with five stations, underground tunnel works and the construction of a station to be integrated with the Metro Manila Subway Project) are expected by third quarter, 2021.

Meanwhile, the opening of bids for contract packages involving the project’s electromechanical systems and airport express train cars are also expected in 3Q 2021.

The PNR Calamba Project is part of the 147-kilometer over P600Billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), which has 35 stations stretching from Calamba in Laguna to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

The NSCR will cut travel time from the Clark International Airport to Calamba from more than 4 hours down to just 1.5 hours.

Travelers from Makati will also be able to reach the Clark International Airport in less than one hour aboard the Airport Express train service.

The NSCR System can initially accommodate up to 1 million daily passengers.

Construction of the NSCR is supported by the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

It is the single largest project being financed by the ADB in its history, and is the longest commuter railway being financed by JICA.

At present, construction is at full-swing for the northern segment of the NSCR System, which involves 90 kilometers of rail line and 16 stations.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/22/pnr-calamba-project-draws-34-bidders/