Tugade Orders Expedited Delivery of Train Sets for PNR Clark Phase 1

Train sets for the PNR Clark Phase 1 will be delivered ahead of the original schedule, following the contract signing for Package 3 of the rail project today, 16 July 2019.

A flagship project under the Duterte administration, PNR Clark Phase 1 is a 37.6-kilometer mass railway transportation that will connect Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan. It forms part of the mega railway network, the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).

Contract Package 3, which was formalized today, covers the acquisition of a rolling stock fleet with a total of thirteen (13) train sets, with eight (8) cars per train set, totaling to 104 vehicles. One (1) train set has a design capacity for 2,242 passengers, seated and standing.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade led the contract signing with the Joint Venture of Sumitomo Corporation and Japan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC), represented by Corporate Officer and General Manager of Sumitomo Corporation’s Social Infrastructure Business Division, Hiroshi Karashima.

Secretary Tugade announced that before the signing ceremony, an agreement was made between both parties to accelerate the delivery of train sets from the original schedule in the fourth quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of that year.

“Today, I talked to our partners and we have agreed to do a fast-track mechanism that the train sets shall be delivered no later than the third quarter of 2021. I promised our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that we will have partial operability, and today, we put the wish of our President into realization to give the Filipino people a comfortable life,” Secretary Tugade said.

Witnessing the contract signing were DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Reinier Paul Yebra, Undersecretary for Finance Garry de Guzman, Philippine National Railways (PNR) Chairman Roberto Lastimoso as representative of General Manager Junn Magno, Japan Transport Engineering Company President Takao Nishiyama, and Sumitomo Corporation of the Philippines President Seiji Takano.

The first package of the railway project involves the civil works of elevated structures, a depot in Valenzuela, and the construction of six (6) stations, namely, Solis, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, and Bocaue. The contract was signed on 20 May 2019 and has started full-blast construction.

The second package, signed on 23 January 2019 and has been on full-blast construction as well since 15 February 2019, consists of civil works of elevated structures, and the construction of the line’s last three (3) stations in Balagtas, Guiguinto, and Malolos.

Once fully operational, the PNR Clark Phase 1 will reduce travel time from Manila to Bulacan from one (1) hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. The railway line is expected to accommodate over 300,000 passengers daily.

Philippine railway development

Undersecretary Batan noted that with the procurement of train sets for PNR Clark Phase 1 underway, the country’s current total rolling stock fleet is poised to significantly expand.

“As we usher in the Golden Age of Infrastructure, the DOTr would have expanded our fleet from 221 in 2016 to more than 1,200 train cars, LRVs and coaches by 2022,” Undersecretary Batan said.

JICA Chief Representative Yoshio Wada commended the DOTr for its efficient approach in completing the project, and urged the Joint Venture of Sumitomo and J-TREC to accelerate the delivery of train sets.

“As your partners in development, we at JICA feel honored to be a part of these undertakings and commitments. I enjoin Sumitomo and J-TREC to keep pace with the government’s accelerated schedule in order for the DOTr to achieve its commitments to the people within the stint of this administration,” Chief Representative Wada said.

Other officials present during the event were Northrail Chairman Eduardo Quintos, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Maritime Lino Dabi, Department of Budget and Management – Procurement Service Director Ariel Cunanan, and Project Director of NS Tren General Consultant Jorge Muller.