(Eagle News)–The Department of Transportation has awarded the three remaining civil works contract packages for the Clark Phase 2 project, or the Malolos-Clark extension of the North-South Commuter Railway System.
With the awarding of the three contract packages, the DOTr said the awarding of five civil works packages of the PNR Clark Phase 2 project is now completed.
Contracts for Packages N-04 and N-05 were signed on August 1, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the DOTr said.
The DOTr said the notice of award was issued for Contract Package N-01 was issued to the Joint Venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd., Megawide Construction Corporation, and Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd.
The contract package covers 17 kilometers of elevated rail viaduct, seven balanced cantilever bridges, and two station buildings in the towns of Malolos and Calumpit in Bulacan and in the towns of Apalit and Minalin in Pampanga.
Contract Package N-02, which covers 16 kilometers of elevated viaduct and one station building in the towns of Minalin, Sto. Tomas, and San Fernando in Pampanga, was awarded to the Joint Venture of Acciona Construction Philippines and Daelim Industrial Co., Ltd.
Contract Package N-03 was awarded to the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd.
It covers 12 kilometers of elevated viaduct and one station building in the towns of San Fernando, Angeles, and Mabalacat in Pampanga.
All projects are part of the administration’s Build, Build, Build program.
“What we see here is the coming together of an impressive league of the biggest and the best players in the construction industry here and abroad, funded by the Asian Development Bank with its largest-ever financing package for a single project, to build the Philippine government’s single largest project in history,” Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said.
PNR General Manager Junn Magno said that the PNR Clark Phase 2 remains on track.
As of August, he said the segment has an over-all progress rate of over 26%.
He said it “seems to quite catch up” with PNR Clark Phase 1 or the Tutuban to Malolos segment natin with a progress rate of 40%.
“We remain hopeful and we keep exerting not just double but triple effort to fast-track this project and at least make it partially operable before the end of President Duterte’s term,” Magno said.
The DOTr said the PNR Clark Phase 2 project is the 53-km northern segment of the 147-km North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System, which will run from Clark in Pampanga to the town of Calamba in Laguna.
The NSCR will have 37 stations, spanning 26 local government units, and connecting 3 regions.
“The project will feature the country’s first Airport Express service, which will slash travel time between the Clark International Airport in Pampanga and Makati City from more than two hours by car, to just under one hour via the Airport Express,” the DOTr said.
