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The Department of Transportation targets to award the operations and maintenance contract for the North-South Commuter Railway by the middle of next year
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This is to allow the winning contractor to prepare and mobilize in time for the target partial commencement of operations of the Valenzuela-Malolos, Bulacan segment by December 2027
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Bidding documents and concession agreement will be out by the end of this month or by the first week of October
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) targets to award the operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) by the middle of next year, according to undersecretary for railways Timothy John Batan.
This is to allow the winning contractor to prepare and mobilize in time for the target partial commencement of operations of the Valenzuela-Malolos, Bulacan segment by December 2027, Batan told media in an interview at the sidelines of the Arangkada Philippines Investment Forum 2025 on September 25.
Currently, the transport department and its project advisor, Asian Development Bank (ADB), are consolidating the feedback from participants on the project’s market sounding roadshows in Manila, Paris, Singapore, and Japan. These comments will be included in the bidding documents and concession agreement, which will be out by the end of this month or by the first week of October.
The publication of the bidding documents will start the bidding process for the 15-year contract, Batan said, adding that they target to award the contract by May or June next year.
Last July, the Economy and Development Council chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the NSCR O&M project under a public-private partnership arrangement.
The NSCR is a 147.26-kilometer elevated railway line that will ease travel across three regions: Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and CAvite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon. ARZON.
With construction already in advanced stages, the project is expected to benefit as many as 800,000 passengers daily in its opening year, eventually serving up to one million commuters.
The railway will feature 35 stations, including 31 elevated, three at-grade, and one underground. Depots will be located in Clark, Valenzuela, and Calamba to support maintenance and operations.
The NSCR will offer two types of train services: commuter trains, with 51 trainsets each capable of carrying 2,242 passengers; and limited express trains, with seven trainsets accommodating 386 passengers each. These services are designed to significantly improve travel speeds, with trains operating at 120 to 130 kilometers per hour (kph)—far surpassing the current average speeds of 20 to 40 kph.
Travel time from Clark to Calamba will be reduced to approximately three hours via commuter service from around four hours, while the limited express service will cut travel time from Clark to Alabang to around two hours.
The concession period for the partial operations of Phase 1, which stretches from Clark International Airport to Valenzuela (13 stations), will commence in December 2027 and continue until September 2028.
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The concession period for the partial operations of Phase 2, which extends the services to Nichols with the additional segment from Alabang to Calamba (32 stations), will run from October 2028 until December 2031. Full operations are expected to begin in January 2032.
The NSCR is co-financed under official development assistance by ADB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
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