3 firms vie for P200-B Clark Rail

Three companies involved in railway development have expressed their interest in the construction of the P200-billion Clark Rail Transit System, which will run from Manila to Clark Green City, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said Tuesday.

BCDA president Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said on the sidelines of a prebid conference Tuesday that one of the interested parties was from Japan, while the rest are regional players. He declined to identify the companies until they have completed their respective feasibility studies on the proposed project.

“We were in Japan recently and we had very good discussions with some consortiums there,” Casanova said, explaining that the winning bidder for the rail system could acquire partners because the project would be a mix of railway infrastructure and real estate development.

“We are aggressively pursuing this, and there were at least three parties that are interested. We are targeting to bid out this package within the year,” he added.

The contracts for the Clark Rail Transit System will cover the construction of a railway from Tutuban to Tarlac City, connecting Clark Green City with Manila, as well as the development of commercial real estate areas along the line. Another contract is for the operation of a multimodal transport system in Clark Green City, which covers parts of Pampanga and Tarlac City.

Weaving these contracts into a single package will enable the winning bidder to generate revenue from other sources given the huge investment needed to put up the Clark Rail system. Construction will start in 2016. Amy R. Remo