The Department of Transportation has awarded the first four civil works contract packages for the Manila-Calamba section of the 147.3-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway System, a flagship project that the government claims will restore the glory days of the country's railway system.

The first four packages, financed by a loan from the Asian Development Bank, include the construction of 31.5 kilometers of railway viaducts, nine elevated stations, and one railway depot covering the Muntinlupa to Calamba portion of the NSCR.

After an internationally open competitive bidding process and review by the ADB, three contract packages, namely CPs S-04, S-05, and S-06, were awarded to the joint venture of Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd.

The packages will cover the building and civil engineering works for the railway viaduct structure, including elevated stations stretching from Alabang in Muntinlupa to Sta. Rosa and Calamba in Laguna.

The fourth contract package, CP S-07, was awarded to the joint venture of Lotte Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş. and EEI Corporation. It covers the building and civil engineering works for the 22-hectare Calamba depot.

A record of six Philippine and 17 international companies participated during the bidding process. CP S-04 and CP S-06 received seven bids each, while CP S-05 and CP S-07 received six bids separately.
Development is underway along the Clark International Airport-Valenzuela portion of the NSCR, while construction for the Muntinlupa-Calamba portion will start within the year.

Spur econ growth

During the contract signing in Calamba, Laguna on Thursday, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista asserted that the NSCR Project "will bring back the culture of rail transport in the Philippines."

"Today is the next significant step in that direction… I cannot overemphasize the economic and social benefits this new railway will bring to residents of Central Luzon and the CALABARZON area," he said.

Bautista added that the massive project will generate 110,000 direct and indirect jobs for Filipinos.

The entire NSCR will have 35 stations, including three depots, and will run on 51 commuter trains and seven express train sets. It is expected to be finished by March 2029.

Once operational, the NSCR System will reduce travel time from Clark International Airport to Calamba, Laguna to two hours. It will serve 800,000 passengers daily.

In Calamba City, Laguna, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of the contract packages, saying the government is serious "about pursuing large projects for infrastructure to foster growth and revitalize our economy."

"We welcome this development at a time when we are going — and we have used this phrase often — full speed ahead towards modernization and our transport system and we are reclaiming our lives from the Covid-19 pandemic. This is what all of this truly means," Marcos said.

Marcos vowed that all resources used for the project "will be maximized for the success of this entire endeavor."

With Michelle Guillang @tribunephl_mish