Mitsubishi Corp. now owns the P110.4 billion contract for the electrical-mechanical system and track works of the North-South Railway project, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Friday.
The agency awarded the contract package NS-01 to Mitsubishi that covers the track works, signaling system and telecommunications for the rail mainline and depots.
Also included in the package are the power supply at the substations, power distribution and overhead contact line systems also for the mainline and depots.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the Malolos to Clark section of the project should be operable by 2026.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of the contract between the DOTr and Mitsubishi at the Malacañang Palace.
“We expect partial operations of the Malolos to Clark Airport section by the third quarter of 2026,” Bautista said, adding that three more years should see the full operations of the whole North South Commuter Railway project.
Although the project brings ease of mobility and connectivity to the NCR, CALABARZON and Central Luzon, the rail line should also generate 110,000 direct and indirect employment during the construction phase, Secretary Bautista said.
Bautista lauded the government of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for financing the largest infrastructure project thus far in Asia and the Pacific.
“I would like to thank the government of Japan, through their Embassy here in Manila, the JICA and ADB for co-financing this contract package of the NSCR,” he said.
The NSCR project, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, is a landmark initiative that will make the country more connected than ever.
The whole 147-km NSCR project has 35 stations, 51 commuter and seven express train sets operating along the rail line.
Once operational, the NSCR will service as many as 800,000 passengers daily and cut travel time from Clark Airport in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna in less than two hours.
