Sixteen local and Japanese firms have expressed interest in building five more underground stations of the ongoing Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), according to the Department of Transportation.
According to DOTr), D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI), Fujita Corp., Shimizu Corp., Takenaka Civil Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. Ltd., Tokyu Construction Co., Ltd., Megawide Construction Corp., Tobishima Corp., Monocrete Construction Philippines Inc., Vicente T. Lao Construction, China Harbour Engineering Company, Taisei Corp., EEI Corp, and Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd. have expressed interest to bid for the contract package 105.
CP 105 includes the construction of two underground stations, Kalayaan and BGC terminals and tunnel works.
Under CP 108, which covers the building of two underground stations (Lawton and Senate-Department of Education) as well as tunnel works, the bidders include Fujita Corp., First Balfour Inc., Shimizu Corp., Takenaka Corp. Takenaka Corp., Tokyu Construction Co., Ltd., Taisei Corp., Megawide Construction Corp., Tobishima Corp., Monocrete Construction Philippines Inc. and Acciona Construction Philippines Inc.
The agency also said Fujita Corp., DMCI, Shimizu, Takenaka, Sumitomo, Tokyu Construction, Megawide, Tobishima and Monocrete expressed interest in bidding for CP 109 involving the construction of the subway station at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 station and tunnel works.
The DOTr said the submission of bids for contract packages 105, 108 and 109 lapses on 31 August 2023.
The agency already awarded CP 101 comprising four stations – East Valenzuela, Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora and North Avenue – as well as the depot and the Philippine Railway Institute Building to the joint venture of Shimizu, Fujita, Takenaka and EEI.
CP 102, which involves the construction of the Quezon Avenue and East Avenue stations, was awarded to the joint venture of Nishimatsu and DMCI.
Sumitomo bagged CP 103 covering the Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations while Megawide, Tokyu Construction and Tobishima won the CP 104 involving the construction of the Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations.
The government secured a total of 848 billion yen (P376.6 billion) from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to fund the P488.5 billion subway project.
The 33-kilometer subway, dubbed as the “project of the century”, stretches from Valenzuela in the north to NAIA Terminal 3 and the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) in the south. The project is seen fully operational by 2029.
The project is expected to cut travel time between Quezon City and NAIA from one hour and 30 minutes at present to only 35 minutes. It is expected to serve 370,000 passengers a day in its first year of full operation, with capacity to serve up to one million passengers a day in later years.
The MMSP is physically interconnected and inter-operable with the North-South Commuter Railway System’s (NSCR) south segment, enabling passengers to board the subway train, for example, in North Avenue Station of MMSP and get off at the Calamba Station of the NSCR.
