The Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed on Thursday, October 8, the last 3 of 5 contracts for the 54-kilometer Malolos-Clark Railway, the northern segment of the ambitious North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).

The 3 deals, which amounted to a total of P84.9 billion, would cover Malolos, Bulacan, to Mabalacat, Pampanga. The Malolos-Clark Railway was previously known as the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark 2 project.

Last September 18, the DOTr awarded the contract to the following concessionaires:

• Package N-01 (P28.4 billion): Joint venture of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, Megawide Construction Corporation, Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd
• Package N-02 (P33.7 billion): Joint venture of Acciona Construction Philippines and Daelim Industrial Company Ltd
• Package N-03 (P22.8 billion): Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd

The ceremonial virtual signing was done on Thursday.

The Hyundai-Megawide-Dong-ah partnership will construct 17 kilometers of elevated rail viaduct from Malolos to Calumpit in Bulacan and Apalit and Minalin in Pampanga. There will be two elevated steel stations between tracks and 7 bridges for Package N-01.

The Acciona-Daelim joint venture, meanwhile, will build 16 kilometers of rail tracks spanning Minalin, Sto Tomas, and San Fernando in Pampanga. The joint venture will build one elevated train station.

Lastly, the Italian-Thai Development Public Company will construct a 12-kilometer railway track from San Fernando to Mabalacat in Pampanga. The Italian-Thai firm will also build an elevated station.

The other two contracts were signed in August, for the construction of the main line from Mabalacat to the Clark International Airport as well as the railway depot on the Pampanga end.

Transportation Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan said the government saved P34 billion, as the 5 contracts only amounted P123 billion from the original cost estimate of P157 billion.

Batan said construction is expected to start before 2020 ends. Partial operation is targeted in 2022, while full completion is eyed for 2025.

The ambitious railways would feature the country’s first airport express service, once the Tutuban-Malolos – formerly the PNR Clark 1 project – and Malolos-Clark railways are completed.

The airport express service would cut down travel time from Makati City to Clark International Airport to one hour, from the over two-hour trip by car.

The construction of the Tutuban-Malolos Railway started in February 2019. The DOTr said the segment now stands at a 40.48% completion rate, with partial operations eyed by December 2021.

The two northern segments will be linked to the PNR Calamba service from Solis Station in Tondo, Manila. The south segment of the NSCR is eyed for partial operations by 2024.

The entire NSCR is cofinanced by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. – Rappler.com