Around 30 domestic and international corporations have signaled strong interest in partnering with the Philippine government to advance its massive railway infrastructure push, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The prospective investors and engineering consultancies gathered at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters in Mandaluyong City during the DOTr’s 2-in-1 Market Engagement Conference. The event focused on procurement packages for institutional capacity strengthening (CDC-1) as well as Detailed Engineering Design (DED) and International Checking Engineer (ICE) contracts for the North-South Commuter Railway New Clark City Extension (NSCR-NCC-Ex).
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez emphasized that expanding the nation’s rail grid remains a cornerstone strategy for boosting regional connectivity and facilitating efficient movement of goods and commuters.
“We are grateful to the companies showing interest in helping us further improve the rail sector to ensure more comfortable and faster travel for passengers,” Lopez said. “We need to increase the number of trains and enhance the capabilities of the people behind the project so it can be completed promptly,” he added.
Highlighting the strong turnout, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Railways-Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) Eduardo Danilo Macabulos framed the event as a vote of confidence in state procurement standards.
“This demonstrates two things. First, there are many companies and consultants, both in the Philippines and abroad, ready to assist us in implementing these projects. Second, the private sector retains confidence in participating in our projects because they believe our procurement processes are transparent and fair, and they trust the Department of Transportation’s capacity to carry forward the railway pipeline in the coming year,” Macabulos said.
Macabulos further noted that mass transit expansion serves as the long-term countermeasure to severe traffic bottlenecks binding Metro Manila and adjacent industrial hubs.
“At the Department of Transportation, we believe that mass transportation is the true solution to traffic. Our railway systems will ease the daily commute for our fellow citizens, not only within Metro Manila but also in neighboring provinces like Pampanga, Laguna, and as far as Tarlac,” Macabulos added.
According to the DOTr Rail Unified Project Management Office, the CDC-1 consultancy will focus on building operational efficiency, performance management systems, and technical capabilities across the agency’s railway project management units.
Meanwhile, the NSCR-NCC-Ex project involves an 18.1-kilometer rail line extension featuring a new station in New Clark City, Tarlac. The spur line aims to relieve highway congestion across the Greater Capital Region by pushing the high-capacity commuter line further into Central Luzon.
The DOTr continues to court international and local industry players to accelerate project execution, targeting a safer, faster and more reliable transit network for Filipino commuters.