The race to operate the country’s biggest commuter railway is entering its final stretch, with the government set to receive bids next week for the operations and maintenance (O&M) contract of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).

Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said on Monday that the Department of Transportation (DoTr) is wrapping up discussions with prospective bidders to help them finalize their proposals ahead of bid submission.

Bid submission

“Next week, bid submission. Our one-on-one sessions with our prospective bidders will continue until the end of September. In fact, this week, we still have another round of discussions with the prospective bidders to enable them to prepare for next week,” Batan said.

The one-on-one meetings have largely focused on technical matters, reflecting the complexity and scale of the railway project, which will become one of the largest metro rail systems in the region once fully operational.

“There are many technical questions. Remember, our winning operator will operate one of the largest metro rail systems in the region. So, there are a lot of technical questions,” he said.

Strong international interest

Batan said the bidding has attracted strong international interest, particularly from Japanese and French railway operators, as well as Filipino companies expected to partner on the project.

“Most of them are Japanese operators — the operators of Tokyo Metro and the Shinkansen. We also have French operators, those that operate the entire metro system in Paris, as well as other French operators. Those are the ones we see as interested in joining. And of course, the local partners,” he said.