Mega transport hub soon to rise in Clark

MANILA, Philippines — The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will put up an integrated public transport system to improve access between Clark Freeport Zone and New Clark City.

On the sidelines of a forum co-organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said the agency plans to bid out this year the contract for the Clark Integrated Public Transport System.

The project, estimated to cost between P3 billion and P5 billion, will involve multimodal transport hubs in both Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga and New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

The winning bidder for the project will help the BCDA build a 1.6-hectare transport hub in Clark Freeport Zone and a 25-hectare similar facility in New Clark City. This would make Clark a 15-minute city, wherein everything is accessible within 15 minutes.

Primarily, the project will involve a bus rapid transit that will go around Clark Freeport Zone and New Clark City. The terminals will be equipped with smart technologies that can detect when the next bus would arrive for the convenience of commuters.

Bingcang said the BCDA is scheduled to receive the feasibility study by October.

The BCDA also expects to bid out the concession for the project before the end of the year, giving it enough time to announce a partner by 2025. The agency is optimistic the contractor will complete the public transport system by 2027.

A public-private partnership (PPP) mode will be employed for the project, which means the agency is willing to shoulder part of the cost in constructing the terminals to mitigate the risk that will be passed on to the private sector.

“Since this is a PPP, we share in the risk. If the risk is too much for the private sector to bear, we can shoulder some of the cost, especially on building the stations, then the private sector will just operate it,” Bingcang said.

The BCDA is working on expanding the transport options within and around Clark to enhance its ease of access for both investors and tourists.

In the future, Clark will be linked to Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog by way of rail through the P873.62-billion North-South Commuter Railway.