The Malolos-Clark Railway Project spells hope for long-suffering Filipino commuters in Metro Manila and its suburbs. Expected to be ready in 2022, it could benefit 342,000 passengers per day and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60,000 tonnes a year.
It is 6 p.m. in the Philippines and while the majority of office workers are battling their way home through rush hour traffic, Nady Tanguan is heading to work.
Tanguan is a call center agent in Metro Manila, 37 kilometers south of the suburbs where she lives in Bulacan.
Her night shift does not start until 8pm, but she has to head out early to avoid her quick ride turning into a two-hour crawl.
Tanguan considers herself lucky: she has neighbours with regular office hours who wake up at the crack of dawn to beat the rush-hour gridlock going to the city that can last up to four hours daily.
“I get an average of four hours of sleep a day because of my job, but at least I get to avoid the traffic that regular workers face during the day,” said Tanguan, 35. “What can I do? I need to earn a living for my family.”
When she gets into the city centre, the quickest way to her office is a ride on an ageing jeepney, where she suffocates in its exhaust fumes.
Tanguan is just one of the millions of urban Filipinos who shuttle back and forth between the northern provinces and the Philippine capital.
Their commute could become a lot better in 2022, when a long-awaited rail line linking provinces in the outskirts of Metro Manila to the city centre is expected to begin operations.
The 54 km Malolos–Clark Railway Project will link Malolos, a suburb of Metro Manila, to the Clark economic zone, a thriving hub of urban development in Central Luzon.
The project is part of the larger North–South Commuter Railway, a suburban railway network spanning 163km from New Clark City in Tarlac province in the north to Calamba in Laguna province in the south of Manila.
The Malolos-Clark Railway will link to the Blumentritt Station in Manila, where an elevated interchange station will connect it with other railways in the city centre.
The new rail line could ferry about 342,000 passengers a day by 2025, reducing congestion on parallel roads by 10 per cent, estimated the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is loaning US$2.75 billion to the Philippines—the multi-lateral bank’s single largest infrastructure project financing to date.
Metro Manila has been identified as the megacity with the third worst traffic conditions in Southeast Asia, contributing to economic losses of at least US$53.6 million chalked up by the Philippines each day due to road congestion.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the Malolos-Clark Railway Project is expected to be equivalent to 60,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide per year, as commuters shift from cars, trucks and buses to rail-based public transport. Pollution has long been a public health risk in the archipelago, which has the third-highest number of deaths in the Asia Pacific due to air pollution. Some 98 per cent of passenger transport and 55 per cent of freight transport are by road.
The rail line will be elevated, reducing the risk of flooding during rains and typhoons. The project will also use pre-fabricated viaduct segments, which limit the need for land acquisition during construction and reduce the impact on communities living along the route.
The Malolos-Clark Railway will have seven stations: Blumentritt, Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark, and Clark International Airport.
With trains running at up to 160km per hour, travel time between Metro Manila and Clark International Airport in Pampanga is expected to be slashed to one hour, compared to the current three-hour ride by bus.
“Lower income groups in particular will benefit from the time savings and affordability of [the railway] transport services with fares targeted at the same level as for buses in the same route,” Markus Roesner, principal transport specialist of ADB’s Southeast Asia Department, told Eco-Business. “This will help non-Manila residents gain access to employment opportunities, education and social services.”
The project will also help to decongest Metro Manila by redirecting economic growth from Manila to Central Luzon, he added.
It is part of rising investment under President Rodrigo Duterte’s infrastructure programme called Build, Build, Build, which aims to increase public spending on infrastructure from 4.7 per cent this year to 7 per cent of gross domestic product by 2022.
On July 11, the ADB awarded an initial loan of US$1.3 billion to the Philippines for the project.
The loan will finance civil works like bridges, stations and viaducts for the elevated railway alignment as well as the tunnel going to the underground station for Clark International Airport.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency’s co-financing of US$2 billion will be used to buy trains and for electrical and mechanical systems.
Commuters like Tanguan are looking forward to a quick seamless commute.
“I hope our situation improves. As it is, I’m more stressed with traffic than my work,” she said.
https://www.eco-business.com/news/what-the-philippines-us275-billion-rail-project-means-for-commuters-and-the-environment/
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Government signs P12-b deal to buy Japanese trains for Malolos rail
The Department of Transportation said Tuesday it signed a P12.1-billion contract with the joint venture of Japan Transport Engineering Co. and Sumitomo Corp. to purchase trains for a rail system between Tutuban, Manila and Malolos, Bulacan.
The Tutuban-Malolos rail system represents Phase 1 of Philippine National Railways’ Clark Railway Project. Phase 2 will extend it from Malolos to Clark Freeport in Pampanga province.
Under the Phase 1 contract, J-Trec-Sumitomo will manufacture and deliver 13 train sets for a total of 104 cars with a capacity of 2,242 passengers per train. “The prototype trains will be delivered by the third quarter of 2021,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
Tugade said the partial operations from Valenzuela to Malolos were expected to start by the end of 2021.
PNR Clark Phase 1 is a 37.6-kilometer elevated mass railway from Tutuban to Malolos. It will have 10 stations in Tutuban, Solis, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiginto and Malolos. Taisei Corp. and D.M. Consunji Inc. will build the project.
Once operational by the fourth quarter of 2021, travel time from Manila to Malolos would be reduced from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. The rail line is also expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily.
PNR Clark Phase 1 is funded by official development assistance from Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency under a 241.991-billion-yen or P93.457-billion loan agreement signed in November 2015.
PNR Clark Phase 1 forms part of the North-South Commuter Railway Project―a mega rail network that aims to seamlessly integrate the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon through PNR Clark Phases 1 and 2 (Tutuban-Malolos and Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Manila-Laguna).
The entire NSCR line aims to serve 700,000 passengers daily once fully operational by 2023.
http://www.manilastandard.net/business/biz-plus/299952/govt-signs-p12-b-deal-to-buy-japanese-trains-for-malolos-rail.html
The Tutuban-Malolos rail system represents Phase 1 of Philippine National Railways’ Clark Railway Project. Phase 2 will extend it from Malolos to Clark Freeport in Pampanga province.
Under the Phase 1 contract, J-Trec-Sumitomo will manufacture and deliver 13 train sets for a total of 104 cars with a capacity of 2,242 passengers per train. “The prototype trains will be delivered by the third quarter of 2021,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
Tugade said the partial operations from Valenzuela to Malolos were expected to start by the end of 2021.
PNR Clark Phase 1 is a 37.6-kilometer elevated mass railway from Tutuban to Malolos. It will have 10 stations in Tutuban, Solis, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiginto and Malolos. Taisei Corp. and D.M. Consunji Inc. will build the project.
Once operational by the fourth quarter of 2021, travel time from Manila to Malolos would be reduced from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. The rail line is also expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily.
PNR Clark Phase 1 is funded by official development assistance from Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency under a 241.991-billion-yen or P93.457-billion loan agreement signed in November 2015.
PNR Clark Phase 1 forms part of the North-South Commuter Railway Project―a mega rail network that aims to seamlessly integrate the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon through PNR Clark Phases 1 and 2 (Tutuban-Malolos and Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Manila-Laguna).
The entire NSCR line aims to serve 700,000 passengers daily once fully operational by 2023.
http://www.manilastandard.net/business/biz-plus/299952/govt-signs-p12-b-deal-to-buy-japanese-trains-for-malolos-rail.html
DOTr inks contract with Japanese firms for Tutuban-Malolos railway
 |
| A model of the train to be used in the Tutuban-Malolos Railway. John Mark Guda, ABS-CBN News |
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed a contract on Tuesday with Japanese firms for the production of trains for a new railway stretching from Tutuban in Manila to Malolos in Bulacan.
The new 38-kilometer railway promises to cut travel time between Tutuban and Malolos to just 35 minutes from the current 1.5 hours.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade led the formal contract signing for the project with Japanese companies Sumitomo Corp and Japan Transport Engineering Company.
The contract covers the production of 13 trainsets, with each trainset having 8 cars or 104 coaches in total.
A prototype of the train, which is designed to carry 2,242 passengers, was presented to the members of the media.
"This is the reason why we are all here today—to sign an agreement where the trains you see, the prototype you see, will come into fruition by 2021. The first agenda is to come to an agreement and principle that we will strive to work together so that we will realize the Tutuban to Malolos route by the end of 2021," Tugade said.
The project is worth P12.1 billion and is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. It is the third of four contracts signed for the railway.
DOTr said Contract Package 1, signed on May 20, covers the construction of a depot and six train stations namely: Solis in Tondo, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, and Bocaue.
Contract Package 2, meanwhile was signed on January 23 and covers the construction of stations in Balagtas, Guiguinto and Malolos.
Tugade said they expect delivery of the first batch of trains for the Tutuban-Malolos segment by the third quarter of 2021.
Tugade hopes the new railway can be partially operational by the end of 2021, and for it to be fully operational by 2022.
The DOTr said the construction of all these train stations is already in "full swing."
The Tutuban-Malolos railway, dubbed as PNR Clark Phase 1, is part of a planned train system that will stretch from Pampanga to Laguna, called the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR). With a report from John Mark Guda, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/07/16/19/dotr-inks-contract-with-japanese-firms-for-tutuban-malolos-railway
MORE TRAINS | DOTr signs purchase contract for PNR trains with Japan firms
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to receive from Japan 13 trainsets for the Philippine Railways Tutuban-Malolos route.
The DOTr signed on Tuesday the P12-billion loan contract with Sumitomo Corporation, Japan Transport Engineering Company and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Each train set consists of 8 cars which can accommodate 2,242 passengers.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said the trainsets will be funded through JICA, and designed similarly to Japan’s high-speed Shinkansen trains.
“Kung titingnan nyo ho ang mga kapartner natin dito mga Hapon. Ang ibig hong sabihin ‘nun, ‘yung mga tren na darating at gagawin nila ay more or less better doon sa mga tren na tumatakbo sa Japan ngayon.”
The rail project is part of the PNR Clark Phase 1 which also includes the construction of six stations from Solis to Bocaue.
Tugade said the department plans to partially operate the Tutuban-Malolos route before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down on June 30, 2022.
To fast-track the project, Tugade said the DOTr remains on target to complete the demolition of structures along the Tutuban-Malolos route.
https://news.tv5.com.ph/breaking/read/more-trains-dotr-signs-purchase-contract-for-pnr-trains-with-japan-firms|
The DOTr signed on Tuesday the P12-billion loan contract with Sumitomo Corporation, Japan Transport Engineering Company and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Each train set consists of 8 cars which can accommodate 2,242 passengers.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said the trainsets will be funded through JICA, and designed similarly to Japan’s high-speed Shinkansen trains.
“Kung titingnan nyo ho ang mga kapartner natin dito mga Hapon. Ang ibig hong sabihin ‘nun, ‘yung mga tren na darating at gagawin nila ay more or less better doon sa mga tren na tumatakbo sa Japan ngayon.”
The rail project is part of the PNR Clark Phase 1 which also includes the construction of six stations from Solis to Bocaue.
Tugade said the department plans to partially operate the Tutuban-Malolos route before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down on June 30, 2022.
To fast-track the project, Tugade said the DOTr remains on target to complete the demolition of structures along the Tutuban-Malolos route.
https://news.tv5.com.ph/breaking/read/more-trains-dotr-signs-purchase-contract-for-pnr-trains-with-japan-firms|
DOTr, J-Trec-Sumitomo sign PNR Tutuban-Malolos trains contract
Mabalacat, Pampanga — The Department of Transportation and the joint venture of Japan Transport Engineering Co. and Sumitomo Corp. on Tuesday signed a P12.1-billion supply contract covering the trains for the Philippine National Railways Tutuban-Malolos project.
The project is the initial phase of the Metro Manila–Clark railway system, and will run from Tutuban station in Manila to Malolos City in Bulacan.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the DOTr and J-Trec-Sumitomo joint venture will work closely to have the first delivery of trains in the third quarter of 2021.
J-Trec-Sumitomo will manufacture and deliver a rolling stock fleet of 13 train sets—eight cars per set— for a total of 104 cars.
The rolling stock is designed to accommodate up to 2,242 passengers, Tugade noted.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) broke ground on February 15, 2019. The 37.6-kilometer, elevated mass railway system will connect Malolos to Manila.
The Tutuban-Malolos project entails 10 stations:
Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John Batan said the contract with J-Trec-Sumitomo is valued at P12.1 billion.
The trains can run up to 120 kilometers per hour, and reduce the travel time between Manila and Bulacan from over one hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes once the system is fully operational by 2022.
Tugade said the DOTr is targeting partial operations—covering Valenzuela all the way to Malolos—by end-2021.
The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency under a ¥241.991-billion or P93.457-billion loan agreement signed in November 2015.
The PNR Tutuban-Malolos line will be integrated with the PNR Malolos-Clark project and the PNR South Commuter—Manila to Calamba, Laguna project—to form an integrated commuter railway system that will serve commuters travelling to, from, and within NCR, Region III, and Region IV-A.
The full interoperability of the entire PNR North-South Commuter Railway is expected to happen in 2023. —VDS, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/701173/dotr-j-trec-sumitomo-sign-pnr-tutuban-malolos-trains-contract/story/
The project is the initial phase of the Metro Manila–Clark railway system, and will run from Tutuban station in Manila to Malolos City in Bulacan.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the DOTr and J-Trec-Sumitomo joint venture will work closely to have the first delivery of trains in the third quarter of 2021.
J-Trec-Sumitomo will manufacture and deliver a rolling stock fleet of 13 train sets—eight cars per set— for a total of 104 cars.
The rolling stock is designed to accommodate up to 2,242 passengers, Tugade noted.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) broke ground on February 15, 2019. The 37.6-kilometer, elevated mass railway system will connect Malolos to Manila.
The Tutuban-Malolos project entails 10 stations:
- Tutuban
- Solis
- Caloocan
- Valenzuela
- Meycauayan
- Marilao
- Bocaue
- Balagtas
- Guiginto
- Malolos
Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John Batan said the contract with J-Trec-Sumitomo is valued at P12.1 billion.
The trains can run up to 120 kilometers per hour, and reduce the travel time between Manila and Bulacan from over one hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes once the system is fully operational by 2022.
Tugade said the DOTr is targeting partial operations—covering Valenzuela all the way to Malolos—by end-2021.
The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency under a ¥241.991-billion or P93.457-billion loan agreement signed in November 2015.
The PNR Tutuban-Malolos line will be integrated with the PNR Malolos-Clark project and the PNR South Commuter—Manila to Calamba, Laguna project—to form an integrated commuter railway system that will serve commuters travelling to, from, and within NCR, Region III, and Region IV-A.
The full interoperability of the entire PNR North-South Commuter Railway is expected to happen in 2023. —VDS, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/701173/dotr-j-trec-sumitomo-sign-pnr-tutuban-malolos-trains-contract/story/
DOTr taps Japan bullet train supplier for Tutuban-Malolos railway
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) inked a supply contract with a Japanese firm to supply 104 train cars for the planned Tutuban-Malolos railway line.
DOTr officials led the signing ceremony on Tuesday for the supply deal covering phase one of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark line, which will extend operations by linking Manila to Bulacan.
The ₱149.1-billion project forms part of the North-South Commuter Railway system, which is funded through official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank. Japan is known globally for punctual and efficient train services.
DOTr chose the joint venture of the Japan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC) and its local partner Sumitomo Corp. to supply 13 train sets for the service, each made up of eight linked cars which can carry up to 2,200 passengers per trip.
J-TREC is the biggest supplier of passenger rail cars in Japan, which include the Shinkansen or high-speed train service as well as other commuter lines in the country. The company also supplied train sets for railways in Bangkok, Thailand.
Based on the contract signed Tuesday at the Clark Marriott Hotel, the trains are set to be delivered to the country between October-December 2021. However, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said he struck a verbal agreement with Japanese officials to have the trains here by the third quarter.
"Why are we agreeing to fast-track the manufacture of these trains? Because I have promised the President that we will have the partial operability ....by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021," Tugade said in his speech during the signing ceremony.
PNR has already signed two construction contracts for the new train service with Sumitomo Corp. and with the joint venture of DMCI and Taisei Corp. The government still needs to award the contract for electro-mechanical components.
Once completed, the train line is expected to trim travel time between Malolos and Tutuban from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. Trains are expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily, and will run at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Other PNR projects on the government's "Build, Build, Build' pipeline include the PNR link from Manila to the Clark International Airport and to New Clark City, and another that will run from Manila to Los Baños, Laguna.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/business/2019/7/16/DOTr-Japan-bullet-train-PNR.html
DOTr officials led the signing ceremony on Tuesday for the supply deal covering phase one of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark line, which will extend operations by linking Manila to Bulacan.
The ₱149.1-billion project forms part of the North-South Commuter Railway system, which is funded through official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank. Japan is known globally for punctual and efficient train services.
DOTr chose the joint venture of the Japan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC) and its local partner Sumitomo Corp. to supply 13 train sets for the service, each made up of eight linked cars which can carry up to 2,200 passengers per trip.
J-TREC is the biggest supplier of passenger rail cars in Japan, which include the Shinkansen or high-speed train service as well as other commuter lines in the country. The company also supplied train sets for railways in Bangkok, Thailand.
Based on the contract signed Tuesday at the Clark Marriott Hotel, the trains are set to be delivered to the country between October-December 2021. However, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said he struck a verbal agreement with Japanese officials to have the trains here by the third quarter.
"Why are we agreeing to fast-track the manufacture of these trains? Because I have promised the President that we will have the partial operability ....by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021," Tugade said in his speech during the signing ceremony.
PNR has already signed two construction contracts for the new train service with Sumitomo Corp. and with the joint venture of DMCI and Taisei Corp. The government still needs to award the contract for electro-mechanical components.
Once completed, the train line is expected to trim travel time between Malolos and Tutuban from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. Trains are expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily, and will run at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Other PNR projects on the government's "Build, Build, Build' pipeline include the PNR link from Manila to the Clark International Airport and to New Clark City, and another that will run from Manila to Los Baños, Laguna.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/business/2019/7/16/DOTr-Japan-bullet-train-PNR.html
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