The government failed to launch the procurement process of the multibillion-peso commuter rail system that will replace the dilapidated Philippine National Railways (PNR).
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) earlier said it plans to begin tendering the P287-billion North-South Railway Project in May.
Sought for comment, Transportation Spokesman Michael Arthur C. Sagcal simply said the agency is aiming to publish the invitation to bid this week.
“It should be published within the week,” he said.
The first phase of the facility will involve the construction of a 36.7-kilometer narrow gauge elevated commuter railway from Malolos, Bulacan, to Tutuban in Manila. It is seen to be completed by the third quarter of 2020.
The second phase, which will extend the commuter rail up to Matnog, Sorsogon, will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2019.
The two-phase deal will be implemented under the official development assistance and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program.
The dilapidated PNR is expected to resume its operations sometime this month to abate the worsening traffic in Metro Manila. The oldest at-grade railway system in the Philippines stopped its operations last month, after one of its coaches derailed near Nichols Station in Pasay in April, resulting in the injury of more than 50 passengers.
Earlier, Diosdado N. Silva, the train line’s assistant general manager, explained that the service were halted so that the government can conduct an exhaustive inspection of its train tracks to ensure the safety of its passengers and trains.
A team from Cologne-based technical and safety provider TÜV Rheinland Group is now conducting the review of the railway line’s state.
The investigation is expected to yield a precise inventory of missing or needed parts such as rail joints, angle bars, and rail clips—which will then be procured and installed in order to allow the PNR to resume its operations as soon as possible. Prior to the incident, the railway system had been servicing the Tutuban-Calamba route daily.
Underinvestment, train expert Rene S. Santiago earlier told the BusinessMirror ultimately caused the poor state of the railway system.
At present, the PNR commuter line operates from Tutuban to Santa Rosa, Laguna, covering 23 stations over a stretch of 50 km, and from Naga to Sipocot with route length of 35 km.
1 comment
I hope this new PNR system doesn’t conk out as often as the MRT, and I hope they start the Mindanao Railway project soon too!