The joint venture between Hong Kong construction giant Leighton Asia and the Lopez Group’s engineering arm First Balfour has started building the diaphragm-wall for a crucial underground train station of the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, the largest railway venture in the country.
The reinforced concrete diaphragm-wall, which the Leighton-First Balfour Joint Venture (LFBJV) is constructing, will play a critical role in providing support and foundational stability for the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) train station underneath Bicutan in Taguig City.
To mark the milestone, representatives from the Department of Transportation–Project Management Office (DoTR-PMO), the Greater Capital Railway Consortium–Project Management Office (GCR-PMO) and the LFBJV project management team held a simple ceremony recently.
The DoTr-PMO oversees the NSCR project by directing policy, allocating resources, and ensuring the project’s efficient implementation.
The GCR-PMO, on the other hand, monitors construction progress, ensures technical compliance, and coordinates with the contractors involved in the segment.
The 147-kilometer (km) NSCR will span from Clark, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna, once completed.
The trains in the NSCR will have the capacity to carry 800,000 daily commuters and run at speeds of up to 130 kms per hour for faster commuting.
FTI deal awarded in 2023
Constructing the FTI station is part of the contract under the NSCR project segment, labeled NSCR 03-B, which the DoTr awarded to the LFBJV in 2023.
The multi-billion-peso project segment for LFBJV covers civil engineering, tunnel construction, and building works for a 6.1-km railway segment, consisting of 4.7 km of twin tube tunnels with cross passages and 1.4 km of cut and cover and ground-level structures.
The underground FTI station will serve as an intermodal transfer hub connecting the ground-level and elevated sections of the NSCR with the underground Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
Now also undergoing construction, the 33-km MMSP is another railway project designed likewise to decongest and ease commuting between Valenzuela City in Metro Manila’s northern end and Bicutan to the south.
First Balfour, a subsidiary of Lopez-led First Philippine Holdings Corp, has participated in constructing some of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects.
These included the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, the North Luzon Expressway, and the Light Rail Transit Line 1 Cavite Extension, to name a few.
International builder Leighton Asia has participated in a wide range of projects, including complex tunnels, rail networks, roads, and buildings.
It operates in the Philippines and other countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
