Photo Credit: Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News The two new stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) – dubbed the LRT-2 East Extension -- will begin operations on July 5, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. In a media bulletin, the DOTr said the rail service, which will soon run from the Recto Station in Manila to the Antipolo Station, has also increased the number of its running trains to eight, from the five trains that previously ran from the Recto to the Santolan stations. “Once operational, the LRT-2 East Extension Project will reduce travel time from Claro M. Recto in Manila to Masinag in Antipolo from three hours via bus or jeepney, to just 30 to 40 minutes,” the DOTr said. In a Facebook post, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the project would be inaugurated on Thursday with President Rodrigo Duterte and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Reynaldo Berroya as guests. “The promise of a better commuting experience will now become a reality,” he said. The LRT-2 East Extension, he said, adds 3.793 km. to the present 13.8 km. of the LRT-2 line with two new stations – the Marikina-Pasig and Antipolo stations. “The project shall likewise increase the rail line’s average daily passenger capacity from 240,000 to 320,000,” Tugade said. He said aside from providing another means of transport to commuters, the project is expected to help reduce traffic congestion along the Marcos Highway, “especially in Marikina, Pasig, and Antipolo, given that road transport passengers will be redirected to riding the train.” During its construction, he said, “at least 1,800” jobs were generated, in addition to the 170 rail personnel employed to work in the two new stations. The project, which has been part of the “Master Plan for Metro Manila” since 1999, was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Board on Sept. 4, 2012. The construction of its viaducts began in April 2015. The “full blast” construction of the two new stations started on Feb. 20, 2017, with a PHP1.1 billion contract, while the contract for the project’s electromechanical systems was awarded on Dec. 14, 2018 for PHP3.4 billion.    Article Courtesy of Raymond Carl Dela Cruz - Philippine News Agency 

 The Philippine National Railways (PNR) Calamba project has received a “record number” of 34 bids from six local and 17 international companies to participate in the construction of the 40.5-kilometer rail project. In a Facebook post, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said the record turnout is proof that the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program “champions a transparent, fair, and efficient bidding process” through a joint implementation by the DOTr, PNR, and the Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service. “I believe that 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,” Tugade said. During the bid submission and opening for various contract packages of the project on July 14 and 15, he said the international companies who offered bids are: 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 Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş. (Turkey) Acciona, S.A. (Spain) Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. (Thailand) Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd. (Japan) Meanwhile, the local companies who submitted bids are: D.M. Consunji Inc. EEI Corporation First Balfour, Inc. Megawide Construction Corporation Prime Metro BMD Corporation Santa Clara International Corporation He said five more contract packages for the PNR Calamba project are set for opening bids later this year. The project is part of the “massive” 147-km North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) system that stretches from Calamba, Laguna in Luzon’s southern portion all the way north to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. “The NSCR System will have a fleet of 464 train cars or 58 trains sets, including seven Airport Express train sets,” Tugade said. He said the construction of the NSCR system is supported and financed by the Official Development Assistance 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,” Tugade said. To date, he said the northern segment of the NSCR System is in “full swing” and involves 90 km of rail line and 16 stations.

The construction of the 38-kilometer Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase I project is on track with overall progress rate of almost 50 percent, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said on Monday. Tugade, together with Governor Daniel Fernando, visited and inspected the ongoing construction at the Balagtas Station site in Barangay Borol 1st, which is part of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project in this town. He said the 24/7 construction of the railway started in February 2019 and is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2024. “It is considered to be one of the first major applications of the span by span method here in the Philippines for infrastructure projects,” Tugade told the Philippine News Agency in an interview. The package, he said, is a 14-kilometer long viaduct with three stations, namely Balagtas, Guiguinto, and Malolos. The future PNR railway will sit on top of the elevated concrete section where piers span between 40 to 50-meter distances. “The viaduct of the piers are to be connected by using the Span by Span and Balanced Cantilever Construction Method. Using precast concrete box girders of 60 to70 tons each which were cast here in our Calumpit Yard,” Tugade said. Abigail Verzosa, quantity surveyor manager of Sumitomo Mitsui Corp., contractor of the project, said they already completed the launching of the 22 spans which is equivalent to almost one kilometer. “For the three building stations, namely Balagtas, Guiguinto, and Malolos City, we have already completed the foundation works. In the Balagtas station, we are already at the construction of the platform level. Structural steel roof framing is already in preparation for its launching in the succeeding months,” she said. Verzosa added that at the Guiguinto station, the foundation works have been completed and that they are now working upward for the structural works of the stations. The two remaining launching gantries with a 50-meter span have also been started. The PNR Clark North 1 will have its depot at the Valenzuela Station wherein its trains will pass through Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, until it reaches Malolos City. The project has total budget of PHP106 billion, of which PHP93 billion came from Official Development Assistance (ODA) of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) while the Philippine government allotted some PHP13 billion. The PNR Clark Phase I will have 10 stations that will cut across the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Valenzuela, and the municipalities of Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, and Malolos City. Once completed, the train service is expected to serve 300,000 passengers every day and will reduce travel time between Malolos City and Tutuban from one hour and 30 minutes to only 35 minutes.