PNR Calamba project auction attracts 17 foreign, 6 local firms —DOTr

The auction for the contracts to build the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Calamba project has attracted a “record-breaking” turnout of 34 bids received from six local firms and 17 foreign companies, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday.

Bidders are vying to secure contract packages to build 40.5 kilometers of viaduct structures of the PNR Calamba project, including 13 elevated stations and a 22-hectare train depot, the DOTr said in a statement.

The Transportation department, PNR, and the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) held the Bid Submission and Opening for Contract Packages S-01 and S-02, and Contract Packages S-04, S-05, S-06, and S-07, respectively on July 14 and 15, 2021.

Foreign bidders for the project include the following:

• China Construction First Group Corporation Ltd. (China)
• Chun Wo Construction (Hongkong)
• Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited (Hongkong)
• DL Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (South Korea)
• Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd. (South Korea)
• GS Engineering & Construction Corp. (South Korea)
• Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (South Korea)
• Lotte Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
• POSCO Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Samsung Construction & Trading Corporation (South Korea)
• PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia)
• PT PP (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia)
• PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia)
• Gülermak A??r Sanayi ?n?aat ve Taahhüt A.?. (Turkey)
• Acciona, S.A. (Spain)
• Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. (Thailand)
• Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Local companies intending to participate in the project are as follows:

• D.M. Consunji Inc.
• EEI Corporation
• First Balfour, Inc.
• Megawide Construction Corporation
• Prime Metro BMD Corporation
• Santa Clara International Corporation

Transportation Secretary Art Tugade said the “impressive” turnout of bidders for the PNR Calamba project’s contract packages is proof of the infrastructure sector’s trust in the government’s Build Build Build infrastructure program.

“This record-breaking turnout of bidders is yet again an indication of the trust and confidence of both the local and international infrastructure sectors on the Duterte Administration’s Build Build Build Program, which champions a transparent, fair, and efficient bidding process through a joint implementation by the DOTr, PNR, and the Procurement Service of the DBM,” Tugade said.

The DOTr said five more contract packages for the PNR Calamba project are set for the opening of bids later this year.

The opening of bids for the project’s civil works packages S-03A, S-03B, and S-03C or the construction of at-grade and viaduct structures with five stations, underground tunnel works and the construction of a station to be integrated with the Metro Manila Subway Project are expected by the third quarter of 2021, it said.

Meanwhile, the agency said the opening of bids for contract packages involving the project’s electromechanical systems and airport express train cars are also expected by the third quarter.

The PNR Calamba project forms part of the longer 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System which has 35 stations stretching from Calamba in Laguna to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

The NSCR System is eyed to have a fleet of 464 train cars or 58 trains sets, including seven Airport Express train sets.

The NSCR System intends to cut travel time from the Clark International Airport to Calamba from more than four hours down to just 1.5 hours, according to the DOTr.

Travelers from Makati will also be able to reach the Clark International Airport in less than one hour aboard the Airport Express train service, it said.

The NSCR System can initially accommodate up to one million daily passengers.

Construction of the NSCR System is supported by the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

It is the single largest project being financed by the ADB in its history, and is the longest commuter railway being financed by JICA.

At present, construction is at full-swing for the northern segment of the NSCR System which involves 90 kilometers of rail line and 16 stations, according to the DOTr.—AOL, GMA News