ADVERTISEMENT
DOTr chief urges timely completion of North-South railway project
By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS,GMA Integrated NewsTransportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has called on Hitachi Rail to complete the electro-mechanical systems and track works for the 34.91-kilometer Tondo-Bulacan segment of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) on time, as indicated in the awarded contract.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the contract for the segment includes the design and main works for eight subsystems. The Contract Package 04 is also composed of 10 stations connecting Tondo, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan.
“I call on Hitachi to complete the project on time. We hope we will do this even earlier. We will work closely so that all issues are addressed so that we complete this project on time,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista was quoted as saying during the signing of the contract.
“This part of the NSCR will carry the most number of passengers of the NSCR Project,” he said, with the rail line set to service some 350,000 passengers daily.
GMA News Online asked the DOTr for details of the timeline, but has yet to receive a response as of posting.
The DOTr last October awarded the first four building and civil works contract packages for the project last year. These include the 8.5 kilometers including elevated stations at Alabang and Muntinlupa; 12.8 kilometers including elevated stations at San Pedro, Pacita Biñan, and Santa Rosa; and 10.2 kilometers including elevated stations at Cabuyao, Banlic, and Calamba to the joint venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd.
It also awarded the building and civil engineering works contracts for the 22-hectare Calamba Depot to the joint venture of Lotte Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd., Gülermak A??r Sanayi ?n?aat ve Taahhüt A.?. and EEI Corporation.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) last June approved a $4.3-billion loan
ADVERTISEMENT
“The remaining ADB-financed civil works contract packages will be awarded soon and will cover the Manila (Blumentritt) to Muntinlupa portion of the NSCR,” the DOTr said.
The NSCR is the ADB’s largest infrastructure financing in Asia and the Pacific to date, with the agency also financing the construction of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project, which covers the northern segment of the network.
According to ADB Deputy Director General for Southeast Asia Winfried Wicklein, the project will create as much as 35,000 construction jobs and over 3,000 permanent jobs during the railway operation.
“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,” he was quoted as saying in a separate statement.
As planned, the project is set to have 18 elevated at-grade stations, cutting travel time from Manila to Calamba by over half from the current 2.5 hours by road. It will also be connected to the Metro Manila Subway.
Once operational, the South Commuter Railway is expected to accommodate 600,000 passengers daily by 2040.
Originally, the NSCR was envisioned to be the biggest railway project of the administration of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
It was planned to have a northern segment connecting Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila, and the southern portion connecting Tutuban to as far south as Matnog, Sorsogon.—LDF, GMA Integrated News