BCDA firms up talks for P80-B rail system

MANILA, Philippines - The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is looking to start as early as 2017 construction of a rail system from Bulacan to Tarlac that would require investments of about P80 billion.

BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano Casanova said the state-owned corporation is now finalizing talks with the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corp. (JOIN) for the development of the Clark Rail Transit System that will run from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark Green City.

“We are forming now a joint venture with the Japanese government through JOIN. It will serve as a platform for Japanese, Filipino, and other companies to participate. The joint venture company will be the one to procure and plan all the utilities and infrastructure for the project,” he said.

Casanova said detailed studies would be conducted within the next months upon the establishment of a joint venture company by January next year.

“We have the options of the alignment already, we have a traffic study also, we have a preliminary design, but we just need to come up eventually with the partners for this. They have to do their own study,” he said.

Casanova said the Clark Rail Transit System, which would cover some 85 kilometers, would start construction by 2017.

He said the railway project would entail investments between $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.

“Our policy is the least expense for the government the better,” he said.

The Clark Rail will link with the North-South Commuter Railway project of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

It will connect Clark Green City, Clark International Airport, Clark Special Economic Zone and Tarlac to Manila through the construction of a railway from Tarlac City to Tutuban.