Among those being initially built is the Calumpit Main Site Yard, which is a 14-hectare area that serves as the main production site for the precast segments.

Bulacan residents may expect to receive a pleasant surprise before President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends when their travel to and from Manila is reduced from the average 90 to just 35 minutes through the first phase of the elevated North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) line.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has started the construction of the 147-kilometer project with a total cost of P777.55 billion, making it the biggest jewel of the “Build, Build, Build” projects.

It will run from New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac to Calamba, Laguna with a total of 36 stations, and will feature the first direct airport link to Clark International Airport. It will use the old right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

In all, 360 trains including 56 airport express trains will run from Manila to Clark International Airport under the NSCR line.

The project was originally planned in the 1990s as the Manila–Clark rapid railway system under a proposed contract with Spain, which was aborted over a disagreement on funding.

It was then revived as the NorthRail project under the term of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but it was canceled in March 2011 due to allegations of anomalies and overpricing.

DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade has ordered 24/7 uninterrupted work to speed up the completion of the mass transit system. He also mandated consultants to provide a daily progress report.

Tugade said among those being initially built is the Calumpit Main Site Yard, which is a 14-hectare area that serves as the main production site for the precast segments of Package 2 of the PNR Clark Phase 1 that covers the construction of the three stations in Balagtas, Guiguinto and Malolos in Bulacan.

The Calumpit yard includes a batching plant for the supply of concrete to expedite precast segment production and other fabrication requirements, according to the DoTr.

Ongoing works at the yard include backfilling, which is now at 98 percent of the project; piling, which is targeted to be completed by mid-November; and the foundation works for the establishment of the Engineer’s Office and Site Laboratory.

Various specialized equipment such as the tower and gantry cranes will be deployed to speed up the project.

The massive NSCR project continues to draw a significant number of proposals as Contract Packages 4 and 5 of the PNR Clark Phase 2 attracted one local and five international companies, Tugade said.

Bid submission was held last Monday, 14 October, at the office of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

Following a record turnout of 11 international and local bidders for Contract Packages 1 to 3 in August, DoTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan and PNR general manager Junn Magno both noted the sustained interest of NSCR project proponents.

“Turnout of bidders for Packages 1 to 5 of PNR Clark Phase 2 is proof that competition and value for taxpayers’ money are enhanced with a bidding process that is transparent, fair, and corruption-free,” Batan said.

“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,” Magno added.

The NSCR is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

It notably remains to be both the ADB’s fastest rail project implementation and recipient of its largest financing — further proof of the trust that the international development finance community has extended to President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise of delivering the Philippines’ Golden Age of Infrastructure.

PNR Clark Phase 2 is a 53-kilometer segment from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga. Package 4 consists of eight kilometers and includes the Clark International Airport Station. Contract Package 5, meanwhile, consists of the NSCR’s Clark depot.

Companies that participated in the bidding are Acciona of Spain, the loal outfit EEI, GS Engineering & Construction and Posco Engineering & Construction of South Korea; and PT Waskita and PT Wika of Indonesia.

Under PNR Clark Phase 2, travel from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark International Airport will be 30 to 35 minutes and from Buendia in Makati to Clark Airport from two hours via car to just 55 minutes through the airport express line. The train system seeks to serve 340,000 passengers daily in its opening year.

Before the end of 2019, Tugade said more contract packages are scheduled for auction.

Bid submission for the PNR Calamba Package 1 (one kilometer, including Blumentritt Station) will be on 5 November, and the start of bidding for the supply of NSCR’s 304 commuter train cars, 56 airport express train coaches and electromechanical systems is scheduled before the end of the year.