The DoTr said a bid evaluation will first be conducted by a technical working group composed of the PNR, DoTr, and the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management before a winning bidder is announced.

Six local and international companies have joined the bidding for the new P50.8-billion contract of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark 2 segment.

According to the Department of Transportation (DoTr), it auctioned off on Monday contract packages 4 and 5 of the PNR Clark 2, where it attracted one local and five international companies.

Firms that participated in the bidding were Spain-based Acciona S.A, Korean firms GS Engineering and Construction Corp. and Posco Engineering and Construction, Indonesia-based PT Waskita Karya Persero Tbk and PT Wijaya Karya Tbk.

The sole Filipino bidder looking to win the contract is Yuchengco-led EEI Corp.

PNR Clark 2 is a 53-kilometer (km) rail line from Malolos, Bulacan up to Clark, Pampanga forming part of the 148-km North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project. The NSCR is a project of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency that will run from Clark to Calamba in Laguna.

Contract package 4 alone amounts to P32.7 billion, comprised of an 8-km segment including the Clark International Airport, while the fifth package amounts to P18.1 billion and covers the NSCR’s Clark depot.

The DoTr said a bid evaluation will first be conducted by a technical working group composed of the PNR, DoTr, and the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management before a winning bidder is announced, after which, the result will be endorsed to the ADB for approval.

PNR Clark 2 is targeted for construction next year, with partial operations in 2022. It is expected to serve 340,000 passengers daily and cut travel time between Malolos and Clark to just 30 minutes.

“The vibrant turnout of proponents yet again for contract packages 4 and 5 reflects the solid support and trust of the international infrastructure industry in the Duterte administration. With a robust competition, we also raise the standard of quality of our infrastructures that shall, in the end, best serve the Filipino people,” PNR General Manager Junn Magno said.