Italian-Thai group to take part in PNR Clark Phase 2 project

THE Transportation department said Sunday the contract to build a 12-kilometer elevated viaduct and one train station building in Pampanga, as part of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 2 project, has been awarded to the Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd.

The station building will be located in San Fernando, Angeles, and Mabalacat in Pampanga, the department said in a statement.

“What we see here is the coming together of an impressive league of the biggest and the best players in the construction industry here and abroad, funded by the Asian Development Bank with its largest-ever financing package for a single project, to build the Philippine government’s single largest project in history,” Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John R. Batan said.

The Italian-Thai Development is the company behind the construction of Thailand’s Bangkok Transit System or BTS.

PNR General Manager Junn B. Magno said the project remains “on track.”

He said the PNR Clark Malolos-Clark segment has an “over-all progress rate of over 26%” as of August.

“We remain hopeful and we keep exerting not just double but triple effort to fast-track this project and at least make it partially operable before the end of President Duterte’s term,” he added.

Megawide Construction Corp. and its Korean partners Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. and Dongah Geological Engineering Company Ltd. are also part of the project. Their contract covers the construction of a 17-kilometer viaduct structure and elevated station buildings in Calumpit, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga.

“The PNR Clark Phase 2 project is the 53-km northern segment of the 147-km North- South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System, which will run from Clark in Pampanga all the way to the town of Calamba in Laguna. The NSCR will have 37 stations, spanning 26 local government units, and connecting 3 regions. The project will feature the country’s first Airport Express service, which will slash travel time between the Clark International Airport in Pampanga and Makati City from more than two hours by car, to just under one hour via the Airport Express,” the Transportation department said.

The department said the contract to build a 16-kilometer elevated viaduct and one station building in Minalin in Sto. Tomas and San Fernando in Pampanga was awarded to the joint venture of Acciona Construction Philippines and Daelim Industrial Co., Ltd. —