Malolos-Clark rail project tender attracts six companies — DoTr

THE AUCTION for contract packages 4 and 5 of the Malolos-Clark segment (PNR Clark Phase 2) of the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project has attracted five foreign firms and one from the Philippines, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said on Wednesday.

The DoTr said in a statement that the companies submitted their bids on Monday at the office of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

The DoTr identified the companies that submitted bids as the Philippines’ EEI Corp., Spain’s Acciona S.A., South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction and Posco Engineering & Construction, as well as Indonesia’s PT. Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk and and Wijaya Karya. PT Wijaya Karya Tbk (Wika).

The 53-kilometer Malolos-Clark railway forms part of the 148-km NSCR project that is also composed of the 56-km Calamba-Tutuban and the 38-km Tutuban-Malolos lines.

“Contract Package 4 consists of 8 kilometers and includes Clark International Airport Station. Contract Package 5, meanwhile, consists of the NSCR’s Clark Depot,” the DoTr said in its statement.

The department said at Package 4 costs P32.7 billion while Package 5 costs P18.1 billion.

The department had announced last August that nine foreign and two local firms were vying for the first three contract packages of the railway project: Package 1 for a 17-kilometer segment including Calumpit and Apalit stations, Package 2 for a 16-km stretch including San Fernando station and Package 3 for a 12-km section including Angeles and Clark stations.

The P777.55-billion NSCR Project — which will run for 148 km with 37 stations — is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency and, thus, limits auction participants to ADB’s 68 member countries that include 19 outside Asia.

“Target awarding for Packages 1-3 is in December 2019; for Packages 4-5, the target will be within 1Q of 2020,” the DoTr said, adding that the PNR Clark Phase 2 “is targeted for partial operations by 2022.”

The government expects the Malolos-Clark railway, or the PNR Clark Phase 2, to reduce travel time between Clark airport and Makati Central Business District to 55 minutes from up to three hours currently.

“It aims to serve 340,000 passengers daily in its opening year,” it also said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

https://www.bworldonline.com/malolos-clark-rail-project-tender-attracts-six-companies-dotr/