Noy witnesses signing of LRT 1 deal with French firm

PARIS – President Aquino witnessed here Thursday the signing of a technical service agreement between RATP Developpement and the Light Rail Manila Consortium for the operation and maintenance of Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1.

The agreement, signed between RATP Developpement president Pierre Mongin and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. president and chief executive officer Jose Ma. Lim during the Philippines-France Business Forum at Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, aims to provide operation and maintenance service and technical advice and expertise relating to the operations and maintenance of the Manila LRT 1 Cavite Extension, Operation and Maintenance Project.

The Light Rail Manila Consortium also signed an engineering, procurement and construction agreement with Bouygues Travaux Publics and Alstom Transport for the design and construction of the Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1 Extension Project. Under the project, Line 1 will be extended by 12 kilometers with eight more stations to be added.

Fernando Zobel de Ayala, president and chief operating officer of Ayala Corp., and Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya were also present during the signing of the two agreements.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino and his economic cluster ministers expressed appreciation for the Ayala-Bouygues-Alstom group for its determination in pushing through with the LRT 1 South Extension project. 

Zobel de Ayala and Lim were joined by Christian Gazaignes, chief executive of  Bouygues Travaux Publics, and Henri Poupart-Lafarge, executive vice president and president of Alstom transport sector.

“Mr. Gazaignes told the President that the firming up of the project culminates more than two decades of his company’s efforts to package and participate in a Philippine transport infrastructure project,” Coloma said.

Coloma quoted Aquino as saying the government was working on strengthening the reforms aimed at leveling the playing field, ensuring “constancy of rules” and reducing regulatory risk for investors.  

Poupart-Lafarge said that Alstom sought to expand its involvement beyond the LRT 1 project and that the company was planning to establish a Manila-based affiliate, Coloma said.

Egis has been doing business in the Philippines since the early 1990s, starting with its involvement in the Manila North Tollways Corp. as a provider of tolling and other fixed operating equipment. It is also Ayala Corp.’s technical provider in the toll operations and maintenance of the Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link Road Project.

The company’s expertise is in the following fields: engineering, project structuring and operations services in the transport, urban development, water, environment and energy sector.

The group also signified to the President its interest in participating in major water supply projects that would address the long-term water needs of Metro Manila and Luzon, Coloma said.