DOTr keeps NSCR bidding on track

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is on track to formally begin the bidding process for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) by the end of this month or the first week of October.

Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan told reporters on Thursday during a forum that the government plans to issue the bidding documents on schedule.

This will allow the O&M contract, valued at P250 billion, to be awarded by mid-2026, giving the operator sufficient time to prepare for the NSCR’s partial operations, targeted for December 2027.

“When we publish the bidding documents, it is the start of the bidding,” Batan said.

“We are targeting to start partial operations of NSCR by December 2027. So we need the operator to be there earlier. That is why our target is the middle of 2026, so the operator can start mobilizing and preparing to operate the line by the end of 2027,” Batan said. The approved concession period is 15 years.

Batan noted that the DOTr recently concluded roadshows in Singapore, Paris, and Japan, which drew a “really high level of interest” from potential investors.

“We listened to the market. We are now working on updating our bidding documents, our concession agreement to address the comments of the market,” he added.

Co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank, the 147-kilometer line will connect Calamba, Laguna, to Clark, Pampanga, cutting travel time to under two hours and serving up to 800,000 passengers daily.

The NSCR is among DOTr’s flagship projects, overseen by its Flagship Projects Management Office.

Its completion is expected to ease congestion on roads and tollways while transforming commuting patterns across Metro Manila and surrounding regions.