Two Japanese companies are vying for the P30-billion contract to supply 120 brand-new light rail vehicles for the oldest metro rail transit in Southeast Asia.
The Transportation Department said Marubeni Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. expressed interest to participate in the auction for the procurement of 120 brand-new cars for LRT Line 1.
Only Japanese companies or groups will be allowed to participate in the auction, as the project will be funded through a loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The deadline for submission and opening of the technical and price bid for the project is scheduled on Feb. 16.
The winning bidder will cover the technical design of the coaches, procurement of materials required for manufacturing the LRVs and ensure compliance with technical specifications through testing.
The 120 LRVs will be configured in 30 four-car train sets to allow the rail line to accommodate up to 750,000 passengers daily.
The winning bidder will have three years to complete the delivery of the new LRVs, which will be done in two tranches. The first delivery is set in 2017 and the second in 2018.
The government allocated P30 billion for the 120 new coaches for the LRT Line 1 under the P64.9-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite extension project, which was awarded to Light Rail Manila Corp.
LRMC will construct the Cavite extension over the next four and a half years, making the entire line operational by the fourth quarter of 2020.
LRMC, a joint venture between Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., has been operating and maintaining the existing LRT-1 system since the functions were handed over by Light Rail Transit Authority in September last year.
LRTA remains the regulator of the railway while the Transportation Department is the implementing agency of the 32-year public-private partnership concession agreement with LRMC.
LRMC said the company planned to start the construction of LRT Line 1 Cavite extension project in the second half of 2016.
The consortium would spend over P40 billion to rehabilitate and expand LRT Line 1.
Eight new stations will be provided with three intermodal facilities across Pasay City, Parañaque City, Las Pinas City and Cavite.