Malolos-Tutuban rail project to be auctioned next year

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it plans to bid out the railway connecting Bulacan to Manila by next year, with operations expected to begin towards to close of the government’s term.

“We’re done with the feasibility study. Bidding will happen in 2018... Maybe first quarter of 2018,” said Department of Transportation (DoTr) North- South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project Development Officer Mikaela Eloisa D. Mendoza.

The Bulacan component of the North- South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project will link Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila at an estimated cost of $2.880 billion, around $2.420 of which will be funded by Japanese official development assistance.

Construction is targeted to begin within the first half of 2019.

“The target start of construction of the NSCR is in the first to second quarter of 2019,” said Ms. Mendoza.

“The target year for the start of the North- South ( Commuter Railway) operations is 2021-2022,” said NSCR Consultant Munehiko Miyata, technical adviser of the Oriental Consultants Global.

“The future NSCR will be constructed along the NLEx-SLEx ( North Luzon Expressway- South Luzon Expressway) Highways,” said Mr. Miyata.

Once operational, commuters will only have to spend 35 minutes traveling between Bulacan and Metro Manila via the NSCR.

The NSCR is a 37.9- kilometer project will have 10 terminals in the Bulacan town of Guiguinto, Balagtas, Bocaue, Marilao, Meycauayan; Valenzuela, Caloocan, the proposed Solis station in Tondo, and Tutuban in Metro Manila.

The rolling stock allocated for the project is 13 train sets with a capacity of 2,238 passengers per train.

The NSCR aims to improve the transport system of Metro Manila and its surrounding areas, specifically Regions III and IVA. —