‘The big ticket railway projects of the DOTr, such as the railway systems, aim to provide the public with improved mobility and connectivity across the country’
Big-ticket rail projects of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in the pipeline are on track for completion while preparation is underway for the much-awaited bidding of the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the four railway projects in Metro Manila by the second half of this year.
The bulk of the DOTr’s budget this year has been allocated to the rail sector to improve mobility and connectivity across the country.
Jaime Bautista, DOTr secretary, had said of the 197 infrastructure flagship projects with a total cost of over P8 trillion approved by the National Economic Development Authority last year, 73 are being undertaken by DOTr: 59 for rail, 28 for aviation; 26 for maritime; and 47 for road.
The major rail projects include Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) rehabilitation, MRT-7, MRT-4, North-South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway project (MMSP), South Long-Haul Railway, Mindanao Railway, North Long-Haul Project, MRT-10, MRT-11, and LRT-6.
The first five stations of the LRT-1 Cavite extension project are set to start operation by the fourth quarter of this year: Redemptorist station, the next station after the Baclaran station; MIA station the closest station to the airport, Asia World station which will be connected to the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange; Ninoy Aquino station and last station Dr. Santos with a bus terminal, sports facility, and interconnection to SM City Sucat.
Meanwhile, right-of-way acquisition for the remaining three stations up to Niog in Cavite is ongoing.
The next big-ticket railway is San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) MRT- 7 which will deploy 108 rail cars over the 22.8-kilometer (km) stretch of the rail line with 14 stations from North avenue to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The project is also scheduled to start partial operation by 2025.
“The big-ticket railway projects of the DOTR such as railway systems, aim to provide the public with improved mobility and connectivity across the country,” Bautista had said.
Aside from ramping up the construction of these major projects, the DOTr is also preparing for the bidding of O&M of Metro Manila Subway, North and South Commuter Rail Project, MRT-3, and the LRT-2, according to Timothy Batan, DOTr undersecretary for planning.
The DOTr has set aside the unsolicited proposal of SMC and Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) and will pursue the solicited bid for the MRT-3 similar to the bidding structure of the LRT-1 which is now operated by the Light Rail Manila Corp., a consortium of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. and Ayala Corp.
Bautista said SMC and MPIC are expected to join the bidding.
He said the DOTr is working on the terms of reference as the government 25-year build- lease transfer (BLT) contract with private consortium Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) is set to end in July 2025.
The government is also looking at bundling the MRT-3 and LRT-2 O&M bidding to entice more local and foreign firms to participate in the auction.
The Asian Development Bank and the International Finance Corp. (IFC) are working together to come up with a joint recommendation for bundling the rail systems.
Meanwhile, bidding for the O&M of two major rail projects, the country’s first-ever underground mass transport system MMSP, and the NSCR is also set for the second half this year.
Construction is ongoing for MMSP, a 33-km 17-station subway will stretch from Valenzuela City to Paranaque City, with a spur line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City. It is targeted to start partial operation by 2028.
Once completed, the underground rail system is expected to reduce travel time between Valenzuela City and Pasay City from one hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes and will service over 500,000 passengers daily.
The construction of the massive 147-kilometer NSCR project is also ongoing. The system has 35 stations and will run on 51 commuter train sets and seven express train sets.
The DOTr is also engaging IFC to provide technical assistance on how best to proceed with the submitted unsolicited proposals.
Last year, the agency received the unsolicited proposal for the C-5 MRT 10, which proposes to construct a 22.5-km rapid transit line with 16 stations starting from MRT 7 on Commonwealth avenue through Katipunan avenue and C-5 road towards NAIA.
Another unsolicited proposal is for MRT 11, an 18-km elevated rail line starting from EDSA Balintawak in Quezon City traversing Quirino highway in Novaliches, onto Zabarte Road in North Caloocan, all the way to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
Lastly is the LRT 6, a proposed extension of the LRT 1 going to Cavite. The modified alignment consists of a 23.5-km long rail passing through large-scale subdivisions in Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, and Parañaque.
