PH gov’t opens bid for design of LRT2 West Extension

MANILA, Philippines —The government is inviting contractors to bid for the design of the west extension of Metro Manila’s youngest elevated railway system that will run from Recto Station to Pier 4, including the turn-back track.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Philippines’ transportation department started bidding for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) West Extension project‘s detailed engineering design. The consultancy services are worth P200 million.

“We continue to modernize our rail systems by building intermodal transportation facilities for convenient and efficient commutes. After recently breaking ground for the LRT-2 East Extension, we are now moving to likewise extend the railway up to the port area, to serve more riders,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said in the statement.

The National Economic and Development Authority Board approved the LRT-2 West Extension in May. It involves the design and construction of the 3.02-kilometer westward extension of the existing system from the current end-station in Recto, up to Pier 4.

It will entail the construction of 3 new stations:

• Tutuban – to be located next to the Cluster Mall
• Divisoria – to be located near the intersection of Recto Avenue and Asuncion Street
• Pier 4 – to be located 50 meters north of Zaragoza Street

The actual bidding, wherein the government will open the bids submitted by interested contractors, will take place within next month.

The awarding of the design consultancy services is set during the fourth quarter of the year. Completion of the design will take about 4 to 6 months.

The engineering design will serve as the basis for the construction or civil works component of the project, which will be bid out once it is completed. 

The design will “cover the 3 stations, the tracks, the viaduct, and electromechanical requirements including 5 new 4-car rolling stocks.”

LRT2 East Extension

In June, the government broke ground for the LRT2 East Extension project, which will extend the system by 4.2 kilometers to Masinag in Antipolo City.

It will be operational by the  third quarter of 2017 and is expected to cater to an additional 75,000 daily passengers living in densely populated areas of Rizal.

Meanwhile, the operations and maintenance component of the LRT2 is also being procured by the transportation department via a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

This project will give the winning concessionaire 10-15 years to operate and maintain the existing LRT2 line, as well as the future extension projects currently in the works. 

Four investor groups, including DMCI, have sought qualification to bid for a contract to operate and maintain the LRT2, the transportation department said.

They are:

• Aboitiz Equity Ventures Incorporated-SMRT International Private Limited Consortium
• DM Consunji Incorporated-Tokyo Metro Company Limited Consortium
• Light Rail Manila 2 Consortium (led by LRM Holdings, Incorporated of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and Ayala Corporation; RATP Transdev Group, and RATP Development);
• San Miguel Corporation-Korea Railroad Corporation Consortium

 – Rappler.com