About 30 local and international companies have expressed interest in railway development projects of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), signaling private-sector interest in the government's pipeline of mass transport investments.
The companies participated in the DOTr's two-in-one Market Engagement Conference on Monday at the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
The conference covered two projects: the Institutional Capacity Strengthening: Project Delivery Support for Railway Projects (CDC-1) and the North-South Commuter Railway New Clark City Extension (NSCR-NCC-Ex) Project's detailed engineering design and international checking engineer.
The initiative supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to accelerate the completion of mass transportation projects.
Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said expanding the country's railway network would improve regional connectivity and the movement of people and goods.
"We thank the companies showing interest in helping us further improve the rail sector for more comfortable and faster travel for passengers," Lopez said.
"We need to add more trains and improve the capabilities of the people behind the projects so we can complete them sooner," he added.
DOTr Assistant Secretary for Railways Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships Eduardo Danilo Macabulos said the strong participation demonstrated private-sector confidence in the agency's procurement processes.
"This shows two things. First, many companies and consultants in the Philippines and abroad are ready to help us implement the projects," Macabulos said.
"Second, there is still trust from the private sector to participate in our projects because they believe we can conduct procurement transparently and fairly, and that the DOTr has the capacity to continue our railway pipeline next year," he added.
Macabulos said railway projects would help ease traffic congestion while providing more comfortable transportation between Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
"At the Department of Transportation, we believe that the real answer to traffic is mass transportation," he said. "Our railways will ease the commute not only in Metro Manila but also in nearby provinces such as Pampanga and Laguna, extending to Tarlac."
Under the CDC-1 project, the consultant will help strengthen the institutional capacity of the DOTr's railway-sector project management offices in project delivery, performance management and capability development, according to the DOTr Rail Unified Project Management Office.
Meanwhile, the NSCR-NCC-Ex is an 18.1-kilometer railway extension that will include the construction of an additional station in New Clark City, Tarlac.
The proposed extension is intended to strengthen the transportation network and help ease traffic congestion in the Greater Capital Region by extending the North-South Commuter Railway farther north.
