The Transportation Department has deferred the bid submission for the P170.7-billion south line of North-South Railway Project by two months to February 2016.
“In order to give prospective bidders ample time to prepare their respective qualification documents, the submission date scheduled on Dec. 1 is moved to Feb. 1, 2016,” Diosdado Silva, vice-chairman of pre-qualification, bids and awards committee and assistant general manager of Philippine National Railways said.
The agency said earlier it expected the pre-qualification of bidders for the project to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015, while the opening of bids would be held in January 2016.
Based on the original target, the awarding was expected in March 2016.
San Miguel Corp. and Metro Pacific Corp. earlier purchased bid documents for the project.
More than 30 foreign and local companies attended the pre-qualification conference for the south rail project held at Asian Development Bank office in August.
The project will revive the oldest rail system in Southeast Asia, beginning with the Manila-Legazpi section plus additional branch lines spanning 653 kilometers.
The winning bidder will operate, maintain and upgrade the south line for 34 years, including the construction period of four years.
Under the project’s terms, the winning bidder will take charge of designing, constructing, financing, operating and maintaining the 56-kilometer commuter rail service, for daily riders on the Tutuban, Manila to Calamba, Laguna route and the 478-kilometer long-haul rail service, for travelers on the Tutuban to Legazpi, Albay route.
The long-haul service may also have the extensions from Calamba, Laguna to Batangas City and from Legazpi to Matnog, Sorsogon.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya earlier said the south line would be the agency’s “biggest project yet.”
“This project will impact directly on a grassroots level. Those who have less in life, especially farmers and fisherfolk, will be given efficient means to expand their livelihood. This is our biggest project yet, and this is for those who need it most,” Abaya said.
Once the entire railway is operational by 2020, there will be 10 daily trips with seven train sets passing through 66 stations.
It is expected to serve 316,000 passengers a day in its opening year and encourage around 44,000 public and private vehicle owners to instead use the modernized railway.