The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday it expects to award the operations and maintenance contract for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) by the fourth quarter of 2026.
According to the government timeline, the preparation of bid documents is scheduled for April 2026, with the bidding process expected to take place between July and August 2026.
This will be followed by bid evaluations and negotiations through September, leading to a target contract award date in October 2026.
The tender for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project was launched on Oct. 20, 2025, marking one of the first major developments under the country’s new PPP Code and its implementing rules.
The DOTr attributed the high level of interest to a favorable investment climate created by the code, which took effect in late 2023.
Several international and local firms have expressed interest in the project, including Japan’s Tokyo Metro, JR East, JR West, Mitsubishi Corp. and Sumitomo Corp.
French firms Transdev, RATP, Keolis and Alstom have also signaled interest, alongside Philippine companies First Balfour Inc. and San Miguel Corp.
The DOTr said in an invitation to bid that the process is open to all interested foreign and local parties, subject to qualification conditions under the Philippine Constitution, the PPP Code and other applicable laws.
Potential bidders may access a virtual data room after paying a non-refundable participation fee of P1.16 million.
The 147-kilometer rail system will connect Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna.
The project is designed to reduce travel time between the two points to less than 2.5 hours, down from the current four hours by land.
The system will feature the first airport express service in the Philippines, linking Clark to Makati in less than 1 hour and to Alabang in less than 75 minutes. It will also allow for interoperability with the Metro Manila Subway.
The 35-station network is expected to create 350,000 jobs during its construction and operational phases. Once fully operational, the railway is projected to serve nearly 1 million passengers daily.
Partial operations for the segment between Valenzuela and Malolos are scheduled to begin in December 2027. The DOTr expects the Malolos to Clark segment to start operations by October 2028.
