1 local, 5 foreign firms bid for P50.8-B PNR Clark Phase 2

The bidding for Phase 2 of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark project has attracted at least five foreign companies and one local firm to submit proposals for a two-contract package of the railway project valued at P50.8-billion, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday.

The PNR Clark Phase 2 is the 53-kilometer segment of North South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, running from Malolos in Bulacan to Clark in Pampanga. The segment forms part of the P777.55-billion commuter railway.

“This rail line will feature the country’s first airport express railway service,” the DOTr said.

Contract package 4, budgeted at P32.7 billion, consists of eight kilometers of railway and the Clark International Airport Station.

Meanwhile, the contract package 5, with a budget cost of P18.1 billion, consists of the NSCR’s Clark depot.

The bids were submitted on Monday, October 14 at the office of the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), according to the DOTr.

The companies that participated are the following:

• Acciona (Spain)

• EEI (Philippines)

• GS Engineering & Construction (Korea)

• Posco Engineering & Construction (Korea)

• PT Waskita (Indonesia)

• PT Wika (Indonesia)

The interest of bidders for the NSCR project, as reflected in the level of participation, “is continuing proof of the international infrastructure industry’s trust in the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ Program,” Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan and PNR General Manager Junn Magno noted in a statement.

The bidding for packages 4 and 5 of PNR Clark Phase 2 happened after the “record-high” turnout of 11 international and local bidders for contract packages 1, 2, and 3 in August.

Package 1 covers the civil works for 17 kilometers of PNR Clark Phase 2, including the Calumpit and Apalit Stations, while package 2 runs 16 kilometers including the San Fernando Station, and package 3 covers 12 kilometers encompassing the Angeles and Clark Stations

PNR Clark Phase 2 is expected to go on partial operations by 2022, accommodating up to 340,000 passengers per day in its opening year.

The railway line is intended to reduce the travel time between Malolos in Bulacan and Clark International Airport to 30 to 35 minutes; and from Buendia in Makati City to Clark Airport through the airport express from two hours by car to 55 minutes .

The P777.55-billion NSCR project is a mega railway network spanning 148 kilometers and 37 stations. It comprises the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) and PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark) to be integrated with the PNR South Commuter from Manila to Calamba in Laguna.

The project is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“Before 2019 ends, more contract packages are scheduled for bid submissions and publication,” the DOTr said.

“These include the bid submission for PNR Calamba Package 1 (one kilometer including Blumentritt Station) on November 5, 2019, and the start of bidding for the NSCR’s 304 commuter train cars, 56 airport express train cars, and electromechanical systems within the last quarter of 2019,” it said. —VDS, GMA News