THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed on Thursday four civil works contracts worth $1.87 billion for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), a project that the agency’s chief said will “ring back the country’s railway system to its former glory and accelerate the country’s economic rebound.”
The four contract packages (CP), financed by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), were awarded to the joint venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Co. Ltd., and the consortium of Lotte Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd., Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş. and EEI Corp.
CP S-04, CP S-05, and CP SO-6 were awarded to the Hyundai-Dong-Ah joint venture, while CP S-07 was awarded to the Lotte-Gülermak-EEI consortium.
Gracing Thursday’s event, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said he is eagerly awaiting the completion of the North-South Commuter Railway Project, hailing its benefits to 340,000 passengers per day.
Marcos said the completion of the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP) is expected to bring in more economic development in Luzon.
During his speech at the signing of two of the four contract packages for the project on Thursday, Marcos said the railway will connect Manila to Laguna through a 56-kilometer railway.
He noted how the project, once completed, will reduce travel time from Manila to Laguna from three hours to just an hour.
“With the signing of these packages, we demonstrate to our people that we are serious about pursuing large projects for infrastructure to foster growth and revitalize our economy, in spite of the adjustments that we have had to make to compensate for the shocks that the world situation has brought to the Philippines,” Marcos said.
Marcos said he is eyeing more similar undertakings especially as the country tries to recover from the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic.
“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 (novel coronavirus disease) pandemic,” Marcos said.
ADB said it has extended $4.3 billion worth of loans to finance the project to be implemented by DOTr. It will construct 55 kilometers of railway segment to connect Metro Manila with Laguna province.
“This project will open tremendous opportunities for economic integration across Metro Manila and neighboring provinces and create a significant positive impact on the local economy,” ADB Deputy Director General for Southeast Asia Winfried Wicklein said at a contract signing ceremony at the Jose Rizal Monument in Calamba City.
The SCRP is part of the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) network, which is ADB’s largest infrastructure financing in Asia and the Pacific to date.
ADB is also financing construction of the Malolos–Clark Railway Project comprising the northern segment of the railway network.
Once completed, the SCRP will provide affordable, safe, and fast public transport, help ease road traffic congestion, and contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Philippines’ climate change agenda.
The project is estimated to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by over 284,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually as commuters switch from road to rail transportation. More than 600,000 passengers are expected to use the entire NSCR system daily by 2040.
“It will strengthen the country’s economic recovery, create as many as 35,000 construction jobs and more than 3,000 permanent jobs during the railway operation, and improve access for residents of Laguna province to employment in Metro Manila,” Wicklein said.
Under the project, 18 elevated and at-grade stations will be built and provide safe access for all, including the elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities.
The SCRP will connect to the future Metro Manila Subway system and be designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. Travel time between Manila and Calamba using the railway will be reduced by over half, from 2.5 hours currently by road.
ADB is funding the civil works for the railway viaduct, stations, bridges, tunnels, and depot buildings, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) is funding the rolling stock and railway systems.
The project is one of the Philippines’ infrastructure flagship projects (IFP). Other IFPs financed by ADB include the Metro Manila Bridges Project approved in 2021, the EDSA Greenways Project in 2020, the Angat Water Transmission Improvement Project in 2016 and additional financing in 2020, the Malolos Clark Railway Project in 2019, and the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project in 2017.
The first three contracts signed by DOTr on Thursday cover the construction and civil works for the following: 8.5 kilometers of Railway Viaduct Structure including elevated stations at Alabang and Muntinlupa; 12.8 kilometers of Railway Viaduct Structure including elevated stations at San Pedro, Pacita, Biñan, and Santa Rosa; and 10.2 kilometers of Railway Viaduct Structure including elevated stations at Cabuyao, Banlic, and Calamba.
CP S-07 covers the Building and Civil Engineering Works for the 22-hectare Calamba Depot.
Bautista called the NSCR an “ambitious” project that “will bring back the culture of rail transport in the Philippines.”
“Today is the next significant step in that direction,” Bautista said, adding that the project will “elevate the country’s transportation system to global standards.”
He noted that the project will generate 110,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout its lifetime.
“I cannot over-emphasize the economic and social benefits this new railway will bring to residents of Central Luzon and the Calabarzon area,” Bautista said. “This railway will offer safe, affordable, convenient, and comfortable transport to Filipinos, while accelerating the country’s economic rebound.”
Bautista added that remaining ADB-financed civil works contract packages will be awarded soon and will cover the Manila (Blumentritt) to Muntinlupa portion of the NSCR.
The entire NSCR will have 35 stations, including three depots, and will run on 51 commuter trains, and seven express train sets.
Once operational in March 2029, the NSCR System will reduce travel time from Clark International Airport to Calamba, Laguna to two hours, and is expected to service 800,000 passengers daily.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes