28 Japan firms keen on bidding for commuter railway project
Twenty-eight Japanese companies have expressed interest in participating in the bidding for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the P873.6-billion North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR), signaling a potential battle royale among major Tokyo-based companies, according to the Department of Transportation.
With the bidding slated for early October this year, the DOTr held its “market sounding” roadshow in Singapore, France, Manila, and Japan, the fourth of a series.
Following the roadshow in Japan on September 9, DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan noted the heavy turnout of participants, which included companies such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo Metro, Sumitomo Corporation, and Alstom Japan, among others. Meanwhile, rail operators and other companies from France have also expressed interest in joining the O&M bidding for the NSCR system.
“We’re delighted to see the attendance in this fourth leg for our O&M roadshow. It only goes to show that we are on the right direction in terms of structuring and developing this O&M concession,” Batan said in a statement.
“Parties will only attend and continue participating if they see that it’s a good project being put out together,” he added.
The transport executive explained that the DOTr will now consolidate the feedback from the roadshow participants and include it in the bidding documents and concession agreement, which are expected to be released by late September or early October.
“We will reflect those in our bidding documents, our concession agreement, so by the end of September or the first week of October, we will be able to launch and publish the tender for this O&M concession officially,” he said.
The NSCR, a 147-kilometer commuter rail project, is one of the country’s flagship infrastructure initiatives aimed at easing travel between Clark, Pampanga, and Calamba, Laguna, while reducing congestion in Metro Manila.
