President Marcos witnesses signing of south railway contracts

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos witnessed the signing of three contract packages of the South Commuter Railway Project on July 13, which are seen to create 3,000 jobs once the civil works in the sections they cover start.

The contract packages, with a total cost of more than P52 billion, cover a combined length of 14.9 kilometers of elevated and ground-level rail tracks, including six modern train stations that will rise at Blumentritt, Buendia, EDSA, Senate, Bicutan and Sucat.

Contract package S-01 consists of 1.2-kilometer of railway viaduct structure, including one station in Blumentritt. It will have four stories, with three tracks and two island platforms, at the topmost level and will be bound by Leonor Rivera Street to the south and Tomas Mapua Street to the north.

Contract package S-03a consists of 7.9-kilometer of at-grade and viaduct railway track structure including an elevated station at Buendia and at-grade stations at EDSA and Senate. It will be bound by Dela Rosa Street to the north and Antonio Arnaiz Avenue to the south.

Contract package S-03c, meanwhile, consists of 5.8-kilometer of at-grade viaduct railway track structure, including an elevated station at Bicutan and Sucat. It is bounded by the South Luzon Expressway to the west, East Service Road to the east, and General Santos Avenue to the south.

“As we hold the signing of Contract Packages S-01, S-03a, and S-03c, we continue to show the commitment to realizing the dream of a more efficient and inclusive public transportation system that every Filipino deserves,” Marcos said during the signing ceremony in Malacañang.

Marcos said the signing of the contract packages was a step closer to the government’s goal of serving around 800,000 commuters daily by 2029. He thanked the country’s development partners Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency; PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk and PT PP (Persero) Tbk Joint Venture; Leighton Contractors (Asia) Ltd., and the First Balfour Inc. Joint Venture for making the project possible.

The President directed officials to address the issues that would arise from the project, including the plight of informal settlers and the disturbances to be caused by the construction activities. He also called on agencies to work together to deal with potential right-of-way challenges like the need for land acquisition and the relocation of utility poles installed along the area so that the affected properties are cleared in time for the beginning of civil works.

“We are continuously conscious in the national government and of course the local governments to ensure that those needing assistance are attended to,” Marcos said.

Marcos likewise appealed for patience and understanding from the public as they encounter interruptions from the construction work.

The contract packages under the South Commuter Railway Project form part of the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway System, which is composed of three segments – Malolos-Clark, Tutuban-Malolos and Solis-Calamba.

The railway system will ultimately traverse the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan and Laguna and reduce travel time from Clark to Calamba from four hours to one hour and 45 minutes.

Last April, two contract packages for the south commuter section were signed – S-02, which consists of 7.9 kilometers of railway viaduct structure including three elevated stations in España, Sta. Mesa and Pacol; and S-03, a civil engineering, tunnel and building works for approximately 6.1 kilometers of railway with 4.7 kms underground and 1.4 kms at-grade, including Food Terminal Inc. station and tunneling works to connect to the Metro Manila Subway Project Senate station.

The South Commuter Railway Project aims to decongest Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares while offering comfortable transport alternatives and spurring economic activities.