DOTC: Integrated LRT, MRT fare project to be awarded in June

The contract for the P1.72-billion automated fare collection system (AFCS) project for Metro Manila’s light railways will be awarded next June under the Aquino administration's public-private partnership (PPP) program, the Department of Transportation and Communications said Tuesday.

  

This gives the government enough time to have a full integration of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 in two years, a department official noted.

 

“We expect to award the contract by June, 2013,” Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya said in a text message to GMA News Online. 

 

“So far we foresee no glitches in the AFCS implementation. Full implementation, meaning full integration of all three lines will occur in two years – 2015,” he added. 

 

Originally, the bids were supposed to be opened on July 5, according to the December project information memo issued by the Transportation Department.  

 

Rolled-out last Dec. 16, the AFCS comprises a 10-year contract to “finance, design, construct, operate, and maintain a contactless automatic fare collection system” for LRT 1 and 2 and MRT 3, according to a brief on the PPP website. 

 

Abaya said 140 investors attended last month's AFCS conference and 22 companies bought the bid documents for the project. 

 

“Improvements in the ticketing systems will already start happening during the latter half of this year,” Abaya said, although the new fare collection system will start only in 2015

 

So far, only two PPP projects have been awarded since the program was unveiled in late 2010. 

 

The P1.96-billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link Road project was the first and was won by Ayala Corp. in December 2011.  

 

The P16.5-billion School Infrastructure Project Phase I, which involves the design, finance and construct of about 9, 300 classrooms in Luzon was won by the combined groups of BF Corp.- Riverbanks Development Corp. and Citicore Investments Holdings Inc.- Megawide Construction Corp.  last September. — VS, GMA News