The Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday signed the remaining three civil works contract worth P52-billion for the Metro Manila segment of the country’s longest rail system, the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, which is slated to be constructed this year.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the ceremonial signing yesterday in Malacanang of the last civil works contract – Contract Packages S-01, S-03A, and S-03C – with two joint venture companies , namely PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk and PT PP (Persero) Tbk of Indonesia and Leighton Contractors (Asia) Ltd. and First Balfour Inc. of Australia.
They will construct a combined length of 14.9 kilometers elevated and ground-level rail tracks on the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP) segment of NSCR.
Under the P52 billion-worth civil work contract packages Blumentritt station will have an elevated pedestrian connection with LRT-1, while the EDSA station will also have an elevated pedestrian connection to MRT-3 Magallanes station.
The contracts also include the construction of six modern stations at Blumentritt, Buendia, EDSA, the new Senate building, Bicutan, and Sucat.
Of the three contracts, two were awarded to the Adhi-PT PP joint venture, the construction of 1.2-km of railway viaduct structure and the Blumentritt Station which will be linked to the existing Blumentritt Station of LRT-1 and for the construction of 5.8 km at-grade and viaduct railway track structure, including elevated stations at Bicutan and Sucat.
The joint venture of Leighton Contractors and First Balfour, signed a contract for the construction of 7.9 km of at-grade and viaduct railway track structure, including an elevated station at Buendia and at-grade stations at EDSA and Senate.
Marcos said SCRP can generate around 3,000 jobs and will benefit more than 8,000 commuters daily by the year 2029.
“As we hold the signing of Contract Packages S-10, S-03A, and S-03C, we continue to show the commitment to realizing the dream of a more efficient and inclusive public transportation system that every Filipino deserves,” Marcos said.
The entire NSCR project total of P873.6 billion is financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the Asian Development Bank and the governments of Indonesia and Australia.
DOTr undersecretary for railways Cesar Chavez said construction of the civil works will commence between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.
A flagship project under the Build Better More Program, the construction of the 147-km NSCR system aims to seamlessly connect Clark, Pampanga, and Calamba, Laguna by linking Metro Manila to its neighboring provinces. Raymond Africa
