DOTC sets pre-bid confab for LRT extension

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is expected to hold a pre-bid conference for the proposed P60 billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 extension project to Cavite on July 10.

The DOTC earlier announced that 15 companies have so far expressed interest to participate in the project by purchasing bid documents with a non-refundable fee of P50,000.

These include diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. through San Miguel Infrastructure, DMCI of the Consunji family, Construction giant FF Cruz, and the Metro Pacific Group.

Other interested parties include Macquarie Group, Mitsubishi Corp., Hanjin, Sumitomo, FSG Capital, EFC Enterprises, Marubeni Corp., BPI Capital, ING Bank and Jorgman Planning.

The DOTC is giving other interested companies until Aug. 21 to purchase bid documents. Pre-qualification documents must be submitted to the DOTC office on or before Aug. 22.

The project involves the extension of the 20-kilometer (km) LRT Line 1 that runs from Roosevelt Station in Quezon City to the Baclaran Station in Pasay City to 32.4 kilometers up to Bacoor, Cavite.

The extension of the existing railway would involve adding stations in Redemptorist, Manila International Airport Road, Asia World, N. Aquino, Dr. Santos, Manuyo Uno, Las Pinas, Zapote, Talaaba, and Niyog in Bacoor.

Of the P60 billion approved budget cost of the project, P30 billion would go to the construction works for the extension of LRT Line 1 until Cavite, while the balance, coming from a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would be used by the government to purchase train coaches.

To participate in the bidding for the project, the firm must be able to provide the design, engineering, construction works as well as completion of the extension of the existing LRT Line 1 until Cavite.

The bidder must likewise be able to operate and maintain the LRT Line 1.

Some 500,000 commuters use the LRT Line 1 everyday. Upon completion of the extension project, an additional 500,000 daily commuters would benefit from the project given the large number of population in the South of Metro Manila traveling to central business districts in the metropolis.