Travel time between Blumentritt in Manila and Clark International Airport in Pampanga would be slashed to less than one hour when the 53.1-kilometer Malolos-Clark Railway Project starts operation in 2022, thanks in part to a $2.75-billion loan to be extended by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The board of the Manila-based multilateral lender on Thursday approved its biggest loan for the Philippines to date to construct the Malolos-Clark Railway, which will be co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
The ADB loan will cover civil works such as bridges, stations and viaducts for the elevated railway alignment as well as the tunnel going to the underground station for Clark International Airport, ADB principal transport specialist for Southeast Asia Markus C. Roesner told a press conference.
Meanwhile, Jica’s counterpart financing worth $2 billion will be used to buy trains as well as put up electrical and mechanical systems, he added.
Roesner said bidding was already ongoing for six contracts covering elevated alignment, depot, and stations.
The Malolos-Clark Railway will have seven stations: Blumentritt, Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark, and Clark International Airport – all of which will be partially operational starting 2022 using a limited number of trains in order to cater to 350,000 commuters per day, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran said.
By the time it is ready for full operations, the rail system will serve one million passengers a day, Libiran added.
This railway project has two components, the main of which was the 51.2-kilometer section connecting Malolos City to Clark across six stations.
Malolos, in turn, will be connected to Tutuban in Manila by the ongoing Jica-financed rail system, which will also be connected to the Blumentritt Station of the Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) by the second section of the Malolos-Clark Railway project.
Under the second phase will be the construction of 1.9-kilometer Solis-Blumentritt extension, where the elevated interchange station for LRT-1 will also be built.
“The rail stations will include multimodal facilities, allowing commuters to easily transfer from public buses and jeepneys to the trains. The underground station at the Clark International Airport will provide a short connection to upcoming and future airport terminals,” ADB said in a statement.
“The project will be built on an elevated alignment, helping reduce the impact on communities, avoid disruption of activities, and mitigate flood risks along the route. It will use innovative construction methods such as pre-fabricated viaduct segments, which limits the need for land acquisition and accelerates construction. High-quality construction methods will be used to achieve the maximum rail speed of up to 160 kilometer per hour,” it added.
According to Roesner, the train will cut travel time between Manila and Clark to just less than one hour from two to three hours by car or bus at present.
“Our co-financing partnership with Jica allows both our institutions to combine our expertise and knowledge in building a world-class railway in the Philippines,” Roesner said.
As a whole, ADB said this project “will help ease the current chronic road congestion in Metro Manila, reduce air pollution, cut the costs of transport and logistics, spur economic growth in central Luzon, and encourage a population shift from the capital to growth centers in the north, such as Clark in Pampanga.”
“The ADB’s partnership with the Philippines has always been strong, and it has become stronger in the last three years. The government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program is clearly steering the much-needed acceleration in infrastructure spending, from less than 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) a decade ago to 6.3 percent now, well on track to achieve the 7 percent target by 2022,” ADB president Takehiko Nakao said.
“One of the key flagship projects of the ‘Build, Build, Build” program is the Malolos-Clark railway. It will be the ADB’s single largest infrastructure project financing ever, and from a development perspective, we are pleased this investment is taking place in the ADB’s host country. The project, combined with other investments in light rail transit, metro rail transit, and subway systems, will bring back the culture of rail transport in Metro Manila,” Nakao added.
The “Build, Build, Build” pipeline included a total of 75 projects aimed at ushering in “the golden age of infrastructure.”
https://business.inquirer.net/271127/adb-malolos-clark-railway-plan-to-cut-manila-clark-travel-time-to-1-hour
Thursday, May 23, 2019
ADB approves $2.75-B financing for Malolos-Clark railway
The Asian Development Bank on Thursday said it approved financing of up to $2.75 billion for the construction of the Malolos-Clark railway.
The 53.1 kilometer train line will connect Malolos in Bulacan to the Clark International Airport, the Manila-based lender said in a statement.
Once completed, the project is expected to cut travel time from Manila to Clark to less than an hour and to serve 342,000 passengers daily, it said.
The railway project can help ease road congestion in Manila, reduce air pollution and cut transport cost while spurring economic growth in Central Luzon, the ADB said.
“ADB’s partnership with the Philippines has always been strong, and it has become stronger in the last three years,” said ADB President Takehiko Nakao.
The Malolos-Clark line is part of the 163-km North-South Commuter Railway Project, which aims to connect New Clark City to Calamba in Laguna. It is expected to be completed by 2025.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/23/19/adb-approves-275-b-financing-for-malolos-clark-railway
The 53.1 kilometer train line will connect Malolos in Bulacan to the Clark International Airport, the Manila-based lender said in a statement.
Once completed, the project is expected to cut travel time from Manila to Clark to less than an hour and to serve 342,000 passengers daily, it said.
The railway project can help ease road congestion in Manila, reduce air pollution and cut transport cost while spurring economic growth in Central Luzon, the ADB said.
“ADB’s partnership with the Philippines has always been strong, and it has become stronger in the last three years,” said ADB President Takehiko Nakao.
The Malolos-Clark line is part of the 163-km North-South Commuter Railway Project, which aims to connect New Clark City to Calamba in Laguna. It is expected to be completed by 2025.
NOW: Officials from Asian Development Bank, PH gov't hold press briefing on approval of loan for Malolos-Clark Railway project which is part of the North-South Commuter Railway project pic.twitter.com/fI1CUNhZ1M— Bruce T. Rodriguez (@BruceTRodriguez) May 23, 2019
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/23/19/adb-approves-275-b-financing-for-malolos-clark-railway
ADB approves $2.75-B loan for Malolos-Clark train line
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2.75-billion loan to fund the construction of a railway that will link Malolos, Bulacan to the Clark airport in Pampanga.
The Japan-led lender announced the approval on Thursday, saying it was the "single largest infrastructure project financing" ever granted by the ADB.
The amount will finance the construction of a 53.1-kilometer train line connecting Malolos to the Clark International Airport, which will also pass through the Clark economic zone in Pampanga.
This Malolos-Clark stretch is part of the 163-km North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project that will connect New Clark City to Manila, and will stretch to Calamba, Laguna south of the capital.
The project is split into two segments: a 51.2-km section from Malolos to Clark, and a 1.9-km extension line that will connect the NSCR to the Blumentritt station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 in Manila.
The entire stretch of the North-South railway is set to be completed by 2025, but partial operations are targeted by 2022. Construction of the NSCR is co-financed by the ADB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with the latter committing a $2-billion loan line.
"The project, combined with other investments in light rail transit, mass rapid transit and subway systems, will bring back the culture of rail transport in Metro Manila," ADB President Takehiko Nakao said in a statement.
ADB will finance the construction of stations, bridges and viaducts for the elevated train tracks, as well as the tunnel that will connect to an underground station by the Clark airport.
Trains will run at a maximum of 160 km per hour, which will allow the railway to serve over 300,000 passengers daily and will cut travel time to less than an hour from end to end.
http://cnnphilippines.com/business/2019/5/23/ADB-loan-Malolos-Clark-railway.html
The Japan-led lender announced the approval on Thursday, saying it was the "single largest infrastructure project financing" ever granted by the ADB.
The amount will finance the construction of a 53.1-kilometer train line connecting Malolos to the Clark International Airport, which will also pass through the Clark economic zone in Pampanga.
This Malolos-Clark stretch is part of the 163-km North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project that will connect New Clark City to Manila, and will stretch to Calamba, Laguna south of the capital.
The project is split into two segments: a 51.2-km section from Malolos to Clark, and a 1.9-km extension line that will connect the NSCR to the Blumentritt station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 in Manila.
The entire stretch of the North-South railway is set to be completed by 2025, but partial operations are targeted by 2022. Construction of the NSCR is co-financed by the ADB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with the latter committing a $2-billion loan line.
"The project, combined with other investments in light rail transit, mass rapid transit and subway systems, will bring back the culture of rail transport in Metro Manila," ADB President Takehiko Nakao said in a statement.
ADB will finance the construction of stations, bridges and viaducts for the elevated train tracks, as well as the tunnel that will connect to an underground station by the Clark airport.
Trains will run at a maximum of 160 km per hour, which will allow the railway to serve over 300,000 passengers daily and will cut travel time to less than an hour from end to end.
http://cnnphilippines.com/business/2019/5/23/ADB-loan-Malolos-Clark-railway.html
Tunneling work on Metro Manila subway to start next year
TUNNELING work on the Metro Manila Subway Project is not expected to begin until next year, but the Department of Transportation (DoTr) is already considering bidding out to real estate developers the soil and rock that will be excavated.
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade told reporters Monday that parts of the tunnel boring machine are starting to arrive piece by piece from Japan, with the cutter head already here in the Philippines.
“Dumadating ’yun then ia-assemble. Pero ’yung cutter head nandito na… Ang actual drilling, next year [The parts of the boring machine will be assembled, but the cutter head is already here… The actual drilling will be next year],” he said.
Mr. Tugade noted around five million cubic meters of soil, equivalent to 2,500 Olympic-sized pools, will be excavated for the project.
“Kaya ang gagawin ko ngayon…ipapa-bid ko. Ang daming lupa nun eh. Kung sinong may kailangan, kunin niyo lahat dito [What I will do is bid that out to whoever needs it],” he added.
The construction of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Metro Manila Subway started in February, which signaled the beginning of preparation works for the 36-kilometer underground railway system.
The subway will have 15 stations from Quirino Highway to Bicutan, with an optional extension from Lawton West to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The first phase of the project will be built by Japanese consortium Shimizu Joint Venture (Shimizu Corp., Fujita Corp., Takenaka Civil Engineering Co., Ltd. and EEI Corp.), which the DoTr signed a P51-billion contract with in February. The contract also involves the construction of the subway’s depot and the Philippine Railways Institute.
Five more contracts for the subway project are expected to be bid out and awarded by middle of next year. The underground train line is scheduled to be partially operational by 2022, and to be fully operational by 2025.
Upon partial operations, around 100,000 daily passengers are expected to benefit from the project, and some 370,000 daily passengers by its full completion. — Denise A. Valdez
https://www.bworldonline.com/tunneling-work-on-metro-manila-subway-to-start-next-year/
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade told reporters Monday that parts of the tunnel boring machine are starting to arrive piece by piece from Japan, with the cutter head already here in the Philippines.
“Dumadating ’yun then ia-assemble. Pero ’yung cutter head nandito na… Ang actual drilling, next year [The parts of the boring machine will be assembled, but the cutter head is already here… The actual drilling will be next year],” he said.
Mr. Tugade noted around five million cubic meters of soil, equivalent to 2,500 Olympic-sized pools, will be excavated for the project.
“Kaya ang gagawin ko ngayon…ipapa-bid ko. Ang daming lupa nun eh. Kung sinong may kailangan, kunin niyo lahat dito [What I will do is bid that out to whoever needs it],” he added.
The construction of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Metro Manila Subway started in February, which signaled the beginning of preparation works for the 36-kilometer underground railway system.
The subway will have 15 stations from Quirino Highway to Bicutan, with an optional extension from Lawton West to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The first phase of the project will be built by Japanese consortium Shimizu Joint Venture (Shimizu Corp., Fujita Corp., Takenaka Civil Engineering Co., Ltd. and EEI Corp.), which the DoTr signed a P51-billion contract with in February. The contract also involves the construction of the subway’s depot and the Philippine Railways Institute.
Five more contracts for the subway project are expected to be bid out and awarded by middle of next year. The underground train line is scheduled to be partially operational by 2022, and to be fully operational by 2025.
Upon partial operations, around 100,000 daily passengers are expected to benefit from the project, and some 370,000 daily passengers by its full completion. — Denise A. Valdez
https://www.bworldonline.com/tunneling-work-on-metro-manila-subway-to-start-next-year/
ADB grants $2.75-billion loan for Malolos-Clark railway
The Asian Development Bank said Thursday it approved a $2.75-billion (P145-billion) loan for the construction of a 53.1-kilometer railway connecting Malolos, Bulacan to Clark International Airport in Pampanga province.
The Malolos–Clark Railway Project is a part of the government’s North–South Commuter Railway, a 163-km suburban railway network stretching from New Clark City in Tarlac province in the north to Calamba in Laguna province in the south of Manila. The NSCR project is expected to be completed by 2025.
It is expected to provide safe, reliable and affordable public transport to about 342,000 passengers who travel daily along the Manila–Clark corridor and up to 696,000 passengers per day to Calamba by 2025.
Once completed, it would cut the travel time from Metro Manila to Clark International Airport to less than one hour by rail, compared with two to three hours by car or bus today. The project is expected to be partially operational by 2022.
The project will help ease the current chronic road congestion in Metro Manila, reduce air pollution, cut the costs of transport and logistics, spur economic growth in Central Luzon and encourage a population shift from the capital to growth centers in the north such as Clark in Pampanga.
“ADB’s partnership with the Philippines has always been strong, and it has become stronger in the last three years,” ADB president Takehiko Nakao said.
“The government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program is clearly steering the much-needed acceleration in infrastructure spending, from less than 2 percent of gross domestic product a decade ago to 6.3 percent now, well on track to achieve the 7-percent target by 2022. One of the key flagship projects of the BBB program is the Malolos–Clark railway,” Nakao said.
Nakao said it would be ADB’s single largest infrastructure project financing ever and from a development perspective, “we are pleased this investment is taking place in ADB’s host country”.
“The project, combined with other investments in light rail transit, metro rail transit and subway systems, will bring back the culture of rail transport in Metro Manila,” he said.
ADB’s 2018–2023 Country Partnership Strategy for the Philippines envisages significant and wide-ranging support for the BBB program, among other critical investments in education, financial inclusion and economic policy reforms.
ADB will finance the civil works of the Malolos–Clark Railway Project, including the stations, bridges and viaducts for the elevated railway alignment and a tunnel leading to the underground station at Clark International Airport. It will also assist the government in using global standards for procurement and environmental and resettlement safeguards.
The project is co-financed with up to $2 billion by the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the rolling stock and the railway systems.
“Our co-financing partnership with Jica allows both our institutions to combine our expertise and knowledge in building a world-class railway in the Philippines,” said ADB principal transport specialist for Southeast Asia Markus Roesner.
The project includes the construction of two rail segments―a 51.2-km section connecting Malolos City in Bulacan province to the thriving Clark regional growth center and a 1.9-km extension connecting the
NSCR to the Blumentritt Station in Manila, where an elevated interchange station for Light Rail Transit Line 1 will be built.
The rail stations will include multimodal facilities, allowing commuters to easily transfer from public buses and jeepneys to the trains. The underground station at the Clark International Airport will provide a short connection to upcoming and future airport terminals.
The project will be built on an elevated alignment, helping reduce the impact on communities, avoid disruption of activities and mitigate flood risks along the route.
It will use innovative construction methods such as pre-fabricated viaduct segments which limit the need for land acquisition and accelerate construction. High-quality construction methods will be used to achieve the maximum rail speed of up to 160 km per hour.
http://manilastandard.net/business/transport-tourism/295448/adb-grants-2-75-billion-loan-for-malolos-clark-railway.html
The Malolos–Clark Railway Project is a part of the government’s North–South Commuter Railway, a 163-km suburban railway network stretching from New Clark City in Tarlac province in the north to Calamba in Laguna province in the south of Manila. The NSCR project is expected to be completed by 2025.
It is expected to provide safe, reliable and affordable public transport to about 342,000 passengers who travel daily along the Manila–Clark corridor and up to 696,000 passengers per day to Calamba by 2025.
Once completed, it would cut the travel time from Metro Manila to Clark International Airport to less than one hour by rail, compared with two to three hours by car or bus today. The project is expected to be partially operational by 2022.
The project will help ease the current chronic road congestion in Metro Manila, reduce air pollution, cut the costs of transport and logistics, spur economic growth in Central Luzon and encourage a population shift from the capital to growth centers in the north such as Clark in Pampanga.
“ADB’s partnership with the Philippines has always been strong, and it has become stronger in the last three years,” ADB president Takehiko Nakao said.
“The government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program is clearly steering the much-needed acceleration in infrastructure spending, from less than 2 percent of gross domestic product a decade ago to 6.3 percent now, well on track to achieve the 7-percent target by 2022. One of the key flagship projects of the BBB program is the Malolos–Clark railway,” Nakao said.
Nakao said it would be ADB’s single largest infrastructure project financing ever and from a development perspective, “we are pleased this investment is taking place in ADB’s host country”.
“The project, combined with other investments in light rail transit, metro rail transit and subway systems, will bring back the culture of rail transport in Metro Manila,” he said.
ADB’s 2018–2023 Country Partnership Strategy for the Philippines envisages significant and wide-ranging support for the BBB program, among other critical investments in education, financial inclusion and economic policy reforms.
ADB will finance the civil works of the Malolos–Clark Railway Project, including the stations, bridges and viaducts for the elevated railway alignment and a tunnel leading to the underground station at Clark International Airport. It will also assist the government in using global standards for procurement and environmental and resettlement safeguards.
The project is co-financed with up to $2 billion by the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the rolling stock and the railway systems.
“Our co-financing partnership with Jica allows both our institutions to combine our expertise and knowledge in building a world-class railway in the Philippines,” said ADB principal transport specialist for Southeast Asia Markus Roesner.
The project includes the construction of two rail segments―a 51.2-km section connecting Malolos City in Bulacan province to the thriving Clark regional growth center and a 1.9-km extension connecting the
NSCR to the Blumentritt Station in Manila, where an elevated interchange station for Light Rail Transit Line 1 will be built.
The rail stations will include multimodal facilities, allowing commuters to easily transfer from public buses and jeepneys to the trains. The underground station at the Clark International Airport will provide a short connection to upcoming and future airport terminals.
The project will be built on an elevated alignment, helping reduce the impact on communities, avoid disruption of activities and mitigate flood risks along the route.
It will use innovative construction methods such as pre-fabricated viaduct segments which limit the need for land acquisition and accelerate construction. High-quality construction methods will be used to achieve the maximum rail speed of up to 160 km per hour.
http://manilastandard.net/business/transport-tourism/295448/adb-grants-2-75-billion-loan-for-malolos-clark-railway.html
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