Parañaque Integrated Terminal set to open next month

The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) is set to be operational by October this year.

This, as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has issued a directive that all provincial buses and other kinds of public transportation coming from provinces southwest of Metro Manila must end their trips at the PITX.

“All provincial public utility buses, UV Express service and public utility jitneys originating from provinces southwest of Metro Manila entering via Coastal Road and Manila Cavite Expressway shall end their routes at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Coastal Road Parañaque from the date PITX is fully operational,” the LTFRB said in Memorandum Circular 2018-20 on September 13.

The board has also ordered that all city buses, UV express service and jeepneys, whose endpoints are Baclaran and the Mall of Asia, shall be extended to facilitate the transfer of passengers.

For his part, Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark de Leon said the transfer of the provincial buses and other public utility vehicles to the PITX will start next month.

“October is the start of transition period. We are talking about readiness of all modes of transport to terminate in the facility and also the readiness of the facility to accept these operators. There will be a duration for commissioning and testing,” de Leon said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday.

The PITX, which will be the first intermodal transport in the country, is projected to accommodate up to 200,000 train, jeepney and bus passengers per day.

The terminal will connect passengers coming from the Cavite side to other transport systems such as the future LRT Line 1 South Extension, city bus, taxi, and other public utility vehicles that are serving inner Metro Manila.

It will feature passenger terminal buildings, loading and unloading bays, staging bays, ticketing and baggage handling facilities, as well as park-ride facilities. Commuters can also make use of the free Wi-Fi, charging outlets and an online ticketing system. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)

https://www.ptvnews.ph/paranaque-integrated-terminal-set-to-open-next-month/

DOTr sets bidding for Manila-Bulacan railway link

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is moving forward with the selection of a Japanese contractor that will build a 38-kilometer railway line from Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, according to a senior government official.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a recent Senate hearing the department was expecting to hold the bidding exercise for the civil works component of the railway project, to be funded by a loan from the Japanese government, before the end of 2018.

“It is targeted to be completed in two and a half to three years,” Tugade said.

The project, also known as the Philippine National Railways North 1 under the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure initiative, is the first phase of a 106-km railway system that will connect Manila and Clark, Pampanga. The entire project will cost above P300 billion, funded mainly by loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

The project is expected to cut travel time from Malolos to Tutuban in Manila to around 35 minutes from the current two hours. The Philippines and Jica signed the 242-billion yen (P117 billion) loan for the Manila to Bulacan stretch in 2015.

Tugade said the whole railway system from Manila to Clark, where the government is also expanding Clark International Airport, would be completed before President Duterte’s term ends in 2022.

The second phase of the project will involve a 69.5-km train system extending PNR North 1 in Bulacan to Clark Airport and New Clark City. Once finished, travel time from Manila to Clark would be cut down to less than one hour.

The DOTr is also planning a cargo railway system that will link Subic Port to Clark, according to Tugade.

The DOTr has made the railway sector a priority area as it committed to implement a P1-trillion pipeline of projects, most of which will be financed by overseas development assistance loans. The goal is to extend the Philippines’ railway footprint to over 2,000 km from the current 77 km.

One of the administration’s legacy projects include the P350-billion Metro Manila subway, which will run from Quezon City to Taguig, with a further connection to Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Chinese funding is also being sought for the 653-km railway line that will run from Manila to Batangas, Laguna and Matnog, Sorsogon.

Its single largest project is the 1,532-km Mindanao Railway System, which will connect Davao, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Zamboanga. The project is also expected to be financed by the Chinese government. The first phase of the Mindanao railway will be a 102-km line linking Tagum, Davao and Digos.

https://business.inquirer.net/257356/dotr-sets-bidding-manila-bulacan-railway-link

Infrastructure to positively impact residential demand in Manila

WILLIAMS MEDIA speaks with Joey Roi Bondoc, Research Manager at Colliers International Philippines about residential demand in and outside Manila.

Colliers International Philippines maintains the belief that the development of infrastructure projects in and outside of Manila will positively impact on residential demand throughout the nation's capital.

WILLIAMS MEDIA speaks with Joey Roi Bondoc, Research Manager at Colliers International Philippines to learn more about demand in Manila's residential property market.

Residential demand in Manila

Infrastructure development projects such as the MRT 7, Manila Subway and Skytrain monorail, once completed will raise residential property values says Bondoc. "We see demand for residential units near or around the stations of these projects growing and this should raise capital values," he says.

"The completion of the MRT 3 rehabilitation will definitely raise the attractiveness of condominium projects near the train line’s stations."

Bondoc adds, "Undeniably, the government’s planned infrastructure projects within Metro Manila will dictate the strategies of both residential developers and investors over the near to medium term."

Residential demand outside Manila

The growing trend of condominium living and the lack of available lots across Metro Manila has led to the development of subdivisions towards the outskirts of town, says Bondoc. Known areas include Cavite, Laguna, Batangas Bulacan, and Pampanga.

Bondoc explains that "Massive infrastructure spending under the current administration should benefit the property sector in general," adding, "The annual infrastructure allocation of 5-7% of GDP should support the completion of Northrail and Clark airport expansion projects in Northern Luzon and the delivery of Cavite-Laguna Expressway, LRT 6, Sangley airport, and Cavite-C5 Southlink projects in the South."

According to Colliers, the Bulacan Airport is another massive proposed project to be implemented under the government's public-private partnership (PPP) scheme. "This should make Bulacan a feasible location for mixed-use projects and raise the province’s stature as an alternative office and residential destination outside of the country’s capital," says Bondoc.

The proposed Sangley Airport should further raise Cavite’s viability as a major business district outside of Metro Manila. "Cavite used to provide residential support to commercial activities in Metro Manila. But the improvement of road network from Cavite to Manila enticed developers to invest heavily in the province.

"We see more robust business activities in Cavite once the Sangley Airport is completed. With a modern airport, we expect Cavite to come into its own as an urban centre and rise from its previous image as a mere suburban support area to Metro Manila. This should result in a more pronounced development of residential projects in the province."

National developers have been very active in building integrated communities within Metro Clark, says Bondoc. "This is partly due to the anticipated construction of passenger and cargo railways, expressways, as well as the expansion of the existing Clark Airport. Colliers believes that these projects should unlock values for parcels of land that could be developed into mixed-use communities including condominium projects and house and lots (H&L). The development of these townships is also necessary in capturing a large fraction of the available labour pool that BPO and industrial locators could tap."

Colliers expects developers to continue pursuing satellite communities outside of Metro Manila given the proposed airport development and modernization projects. These integrated communities offer a better value proposition than standalone projects since they offer mixed-use developments. "We believe that this feature makes integrated townships a more attractive option for investors. More BPO tenants will also gravitate toward integrated communities as they offer a better living and working environment. This trend should make residential projects outside Metro Manila more attractive."

The improvement of road networks and expansion of airports in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Cavite should further unlock land values in these areas, making them more feasible for residential projects.

Bondoc concludes, "The demand for residential units in these locations will continuously grow as we believe that a significant part of the remittances sent in by OFWs annually will be set aside for Filipinos’ housing requirements."

For more information about Manila's residential market, phone or email Joey Roi Bondoc, Research Manager at Colliers International Philippines via the contact detials listed below.

https://www.retalkasia.com/news/2018/09/14/infrastructure-positively-impact-residential-demand-manila/1536879332

Solons question changes in route of P350-B Metro Manila subway project

Lawmakers have questioned the changes in the route of the P350-billion Metro Manila subway project, which first phase of construction is set to begin this December.

At a hearing of the House of Representatives’ Metro Manila Development Committee on Wednesday, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the original alignment of the country’s first subway would be from Mindanao Avenue, going to North Avenue and traversing Edsa all the way to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

But he also said the interagency handling the project changed a segment of the route after conducting a feasibility study in August 2017.

Originally, a segment of the subway route would go from North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, to Ortigas, just like the route of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3).

The new segment however would now be from North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, going to East Avenue, Anonas, and Katipunan, before going to Ortigas.

Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice and Quezon City 1st District Rep. Vincent Crisologo raised questions on the modified alignment.

“Ang unang-unang dapat lagyan ng subway ay Edsa at ‘yan ay nasa plano, nag-iba,” Erice noted.

“Hindi ‘yan ‘yung daanan ng mga commuters, ng mga ordinaryong mamayan. Parang puro commercial developments ‘yung dinadaanan ng subway baka mas makinabang dito ‘yung mga commercial developer imbes na mamamayan,” he added.

Crisologo, for his part, asked Batan to justify the changes and requested a copy of the minutes of the interagency meeting where the changes were made.

The interagency panel is composed of the Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works and Highways, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Finance, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

Justification

Batan said the alteration was done since they considered the capacity rehabilitation of the MRT-3.

“Instead of concentrating two mass transport line under and above Edsa, ‘yung segment po na ‘yun was diverted to the East in order to spread capacity,” he explained during the hearing.

With the capacity expansion of 900,000 to 1 million planned for MRT-3, Batan said this would be enough to service commuters along Edsa.

“Gusto natin ma-avoid na ma-oversupply ang Edsa na kung saan paano naman ‘yung ibang mga corridors natin na meron namang mananakay,” he added in a separate interview.

“Number one consideration hindi lang ng gobyerno pati ng lenders natin, ng Jica, is ‘yung transport demand, hindi tayo maglalatag ng riles ng walang transport demand,” Batan also said.

According to Batan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) would shoulder up to P280 billion of the total P350 billion cost of the subway project.  /kga

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1031169/solons-question-changes-in-route-of-p350-b-metro-manila-subway-project

Dalian trains to undergo nighttime simulation tests

But DOTr remains noncommittal on when these will be added to main MRT 3 system

Within the month, at least two of the brand new Dalian trains are expected to undergo nighttime “simulation tests” before being provisionally deployed on the main line of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 for 150 hours.

But even if the provisional deployment would be pulled off without a hitch, Transportation Undersecretary for Rails TJ Batan was noncommittal when asked whether the new trains would go on to make regular runs.

Return to maker

Should technical problems crop up, the trains would be sent back to the Chinese manufacturer for rehabilitation, he told senators during Tuesday’s hearing on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) budget for 2019.

According to Batan, the nighttime tests would be done in coordination with Toshiba and the Philippine National Railways as part of the government’s efforts to verify the findings made by CRRC Dalian Co. Ltd. and international audit firm TUV Rheinland.

During the hearing, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade told senators that the China-made trains “[could] apparently be used” provisionally to help improve the operations of the aging and breakdown-prone MRT 3.

He was supported by Batan who said that while there were issues that needed to be addressed, an audit of the Dalian trains showed that these could indeed be used by the public.

One issue was adjusting the compatibility of the MRT 3 maintenance equipment since these were designed for the first-generation Czech-made MRT 3 trains, he said.

Asked by Sen. Nancy Binay if there were problems about the trains’ weight, Batan replied: “There’s an issue but it does not affect the safety and compatibility of the Dalian trains.”

He said that based on the audit conducted by the TUV, the China-made trains, when packed with 1,800 passengers, were within the prescribed fully loaded weight.

While all of the 48 trains purchased by the Aquino administration from Dalian were delivered in January 2017, these were left to gather dust at the MRT 3 depot as the DOTr cited safety and compatibility issues for their nondeployment.

Rail officials had pointed out that the P3.8-billion trains were overweight by at least three tons. Based on Dalian’s contract with the government, the trains should weigh 46.3 tons each but the delivered units weighed 49.7 tons.

Still within limits

Experts stressed, however, that the trains were still within the allowable limit.

Since the start of the year, the MRT 3 has recorded 65 unloading incidents. The latest was yesterday when a southbound train unloaded 700 passengers at Magallanes station after the motor developed electrical problems.

The expected deployment of the Dalian trains comes ahead of the planned general overhaul of the old MRT 3 trains starting next year. Batan said that their contract with the Japan International Cooperation Agency covering 72 MRT 3 coaches would last for 45 months.

During the rehabilitation period, the number of operational trains would go down from 15 to just 10, according to Tugade.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1031033/dalian-trains-to-undergo-nighttime-simulation-tests

PNR to validate Dalian MRT train repair findings

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) has directed the Philippine National Railways (PNR) to supervise the testing of train sets manufactured by China’s CRRC Dalian Co. for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3).

PNR General Manager Junn B. Magno said he was instructed by Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade to validate the report of third-party auditor TUV Rheinland on the train sets before Sumitomo Corp. takes over as the railway’s maintenance provider.

“The report enumerated the reliability factors and the hazard factors of the train sets so we need to test that before we put it into revenue service,” he said during the Senate budget hearing of the DoTr on Tuesday.

He said the PNR was tapped since it has a division in the agency which deals with the reliability and maintainability of its trains.

Mr. Magno said the PNR will conduct simulations next week to check for possible major hazards with the train sets that the Chinese firm may have missed in its repairs.

After the simulation, the train sets will be placed in provisional revenue service by the MRT-3 for at least 150 hours. Mr. Magno said the testing may be conducted this month or October.

Mr. Magno said the PNR will then provide a recommendation to Mr. Tugade whether the train sets are suitable for revenue service or whether there is still a need for CRRC Dalian Co. to rectify some issues.

“If there are still hazards, we will not finish the 150 hours and will return the trains to (CCRC) Dalian so they will rectify it,” the PNR General Manager said.

DoTr Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John R. Batan said Toshiba Infrastructure Systems will also assist the government to validate whether CCRC Dalian has repaired the issues raised with the train sets identified by TUV Rheinland.

“We will run the trains first outside revenue hours so it would not affect operations when there are passengers and later on we will do it during revenue hours… Then, we will gradually deploy the trains in the existing fleet for longer period of time,” he told reporters after the legislative hearing.

He said the process of the simulation and testing will be discussed in a meeting with the various parties on Thursday.

The DoTr hopes to deploy the Dalian trains by the end of the year after it obtained the Chinese firm’s assurance it will shoulder the costs of any modifications.

Mr. Tugade stressed the importance of the deployment of the Dalian trains during the MRT-3 rehabilitation.

“We really need to use the Dalian trains. They said it can be used. If rehabilitation starts with MRT, only 10 trains may be operational. That would be a problem to the commuters. How can we meet the ideal target of the 600,000 passenger ridership with only 10 or 12 trains?” he said during the budget hearing.

The DoTr and the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) finalized in May the terms of the rehabilitation for the MRT-3, which will take 43 months. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

http://www.bworldonline.com/pnr-to-validate-dalian-mrt-train-repair-findings/

Dalian MRT3 trains test run in October

The government wants to test whether the trains delivered by Chinese firm CRRC Dalian Company Limited are safe for public use

The unused Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) trains delivered by Chinese firm CRRC Dalian Company Limited will be tested for public use sometime in October, railway officials confirmed.

During the budget briefing of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday, September 11, Philippine National Railways (PNR) General Manager Jun Magno said that the 48 unused trains will undergo testing to determine whether these are safe for public use.

Dalian said it was able to rectify "hazard" issues related to the trains, and this is what PNR will test, together with Toshiba Infrastructure Systems. (READ: Dalian trains may be used later this year but...)

"Ang gagawin lang namin, subukan natin 150 hours patakbuhin [kung] totoo ba 'yung hazards na narectify na 'yan. So kung may hazards pa rin, hindi na namin tatapusin yang 150 [hours], isa-sauli na namin," Magno told reporters on Tuesday.

(What we will do is we will test-run the trains for 15 hours to know if it's true that the hazards were already rectified. If there are still hazards, we will not finish the 150 hours and send them back to Dalian.)

Magno noted that the government wants to keep a very low hazard probability, close to the rates when the MRT3 was turned over by the original manufacturer Japanese firm Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

He said that a hazard probability of 0.1% could still cause accidents and affect close to 100 passengers a year – a turnout that the government wants to avoid.

"Kaya nga may simulation muna kami para 'yang obvious na hazard matanggal na namin [ang tren sa test run]. Tapos 'yang mga hidden hazards na 'di pa namin nakikita, 'yun ang te-testing namin. Kunwari sa 150 [hours], may hidden hazard na malaki talaga, tatanggalin namin. Papa-rectify sa Dalian," Magno said.

(The reason why we have an initial simulation is so we can identify the trains with obvious hazards and remove them [from the test run]. The hidden hazards, we will be able to identify them during the test run. If there are huge hidden hazards during the 150-hour test run, we will remove them. Those have to be rectified by Dalian.)

The trains, when fielded for a test run, will be done during revenue operations. Magno estimated inserting two to 3 trains at a time, on top of the regular 15 trains servicing an average of 350,000 commuters daily.

Dalian will assume all costs related to repair of the unused trains, as well as providing spare parts, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Agreement

Railways Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said that the timeline of the test run is still being finalized.

Sumitomo, the original builder of MRT3, is set to come in as the new maintenance provider of the train system. Batan said the government is targetting the signing of agreements by the end of September to coincide with the test run of of Dalian trains.

"Practically speaking, transition [to Sumitomo] is already ongoing because there are talks already. But the full mobilization will take time between now and October," Batan said.

The 48 Dalian trains were delivered in 2016 but remained unused due to supposed compatibility issues. The DOTr said the Dalian trains exceeded the total weight required in its contract, specifying that each train should weigh 46.4 tons, but the delivered trains weighed 49.7 tons.

The new coaches were part of the MRT3 expansion project, which aimed to decongest the railway system and increase its capacity to serve over 800,000 passengers daily.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/211720-dalian-mrt3-trains-to-be-tested-october-2018

Manila LRT 1 Cavite Extension – Site Office Project

Location: Sucat, Parañaque City
Country: Philippines
Client: Bouygues Travaux Publics Phils., Inc.
Services Provided: MEPF

Meinhardt has provided Consulting Services to which will include Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection Services.

The development of Manila LRT 1 Cavite Extension – Site Office Project is a two (2) buildings, two (2) storey structure per building located near Dr. Santos Station in Sucat, Paranaque City.

The two (2) buildings will have an estimated total floor area of 3,000 sq.m (1,500 sq.m.) per building.

The site office has an estimated occupant from 250 to 300 staff and will be utilized in the next 3 to 4 years.

ADB approves Malalos-Clark rail assistance package

THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT Bank (ADB) has approved a $2-million technical assistance grant for the 51-kilometer Malolos-Clark railway.

The ADB approved the Railway Project Implementation Support and Institutional Strengthening project on Aug. 22, drawn from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, according to ADB documents.

The grant seeks to “help the government to prepare project implementation and project management, establish the institutional structure as required under the policy framework for the future railway sector in the Philippines and develop the capacity to manage operation and maintain the ensuing project.”

This includes consulting services to support the Department of Transportation (DoTr) in land acquisition, resettlement and livelihood skills development activities for persons affected by the project; consulting services to support procurement activities; consulting services to develop and implement a public communication strategy with project affected persons; consulting services to develop and implement gender mainstreaming activities under the gender action plan; and other support by consultants and training as required to accelerate project implementation.

The Philippine National Railway (PNR) North 2 Malolos-Clark railway is among the government’s flagship infrastructure projects to decongest Manila, which will link Malolos, Bulacan to Clark International Airport and Clark Green City.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the project will cost P211.43 billion, and will be co-financed by the ADB and the Japanese government.

The project is targeted to start construction by the third quarter next year, and completed by 2024.

NEDA said right-of-way clearing is ongoing, and detailed engineering design is expected to be completed by March or April next year.

The Philippine government also expects the exchange of notes and signing of the loan agreement with Japan in the fourth quarter this year.

The government is relying largely on infrastructure to boost economic growth to 7-8% until 2022, and reduce poverty rate to 14% by then. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

http://www.bworldonline.com/adb-approves-malolos-clark-rail-assistance-package/

Motoring Today | Motoring News: Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange ...