GETTING THERE Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista leads the groundbreaking ceremony for contract package 102 of the ambitious Metro Manila Subway Project. —photo from DOTR facebook
MANILA -The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is inviting private firms to bid for three Metro Manila Subway contracts, as it remains firm on making the underground railway system operational by 2028.
In separate invitations, the DOTr called for bids for contract packages (CP) 105, 108 and 109, with each project expected to cost roughly P20 billion.
CP 105 includes the construction of Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City Stations. CP 108 is for the build of Lawton and Senate-DepEd Stations while CP 109 covers Terminal 3 Station.
A pre-bid conference will be held on June 2 at the DOTr’s office. Bids must be delivered on Aug. 31.
Cesar Chavez, undersecretary for railways of the DOTr, earlier said these contracts were expected to be awarded within the second and third quarters of this year.
Last week, government officials held a ground breaking ceremony for Quezon Avenue and East Avenue Stations, which are part of CP 102. It was awarded to the joint venture of DM Consunji Inc. and Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd. in October last year.
Tunnel works
In February, the DOTr broke ground for CP 103, which was bagged by Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. Ltd. The contract includes the construction of Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo Stations.
The groundbreaking ceremony for CP 104—which includes the construction of Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations—was held in October last year. This was awarded to Megawide Construction Corp., Tokyu Construction Co., Ltd. and Tobishima Corp. in May 2022.
The tunnel works for the first contract package—construction of a depot in Valenzuela City, Quezon Highway station, Tandang Sora station and North Avenue station—began in January. It was awarded in 2019 to the joint venture of Shimizu Corp., Fujita Corp., Takenaka Civil Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. and EEI Corp.
The subway, which is designed to have 17 stations, will connect Valenzuela City to Pasay City. It is expected to service over 519,000 passengers daily once operational.
The subway is seen to reduce travel time between Quezon City and Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay to just 35 minutes from one hour and 10 minutes at present.
The idea of building a Metro Manila subway was first proposed in 1973 under the Urban Transport Study in the Manila Metropolitan Area.
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