A total of 28 Japanese companies, including industry giants Mitsubishi Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo Metro, Sumitomo Corp., and Alstom Japan, have expressed interest in bidding for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contract of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The interest emerged during the fourth and final leg of the NSCR market sounding held in Japan, following earlier sessions in Singapore, France, and Manila.
“We’re very happy to see the attendance… it only goes to show that we are on the right direction,” said DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, adding that continued participation from global firms indicates a well-structured and promising project.
The DOTr plans to integrate feedback from all market sounding events into the final bidding documents and concession agreement, which will be released by late September or early October, Batan added.
The P874-billion NSCR System is a 148-kilometer railway network spanning 26 cities and municipalities across Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon. A flagship under the “Build Better More” infrastructure program, the NSCR is designed to carry over 800,000 passengers daily once fully operational, with partial operations expected to begin by 2028.
