PNR-Clark phase 1 deal signed

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Friday signed a contract with a consulting group for the construction, supervision and bidding assistance of Phase 1 of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark project linking Tutuban in Divisoria, Manila, to the City of Malolos in Bulacan province.

Tugade said construction will begin before the end of December at the earliest and Jan. 6 at the latest.

Tugade and Yuji Asano, general manager of the Manila office of Oriental Consultants Global Ltd., signed the contract at the Department of Transportation (DOTr) office in Clark Freeport.

The DOTr took a loan on Nov. 27 from the Japan International Cooperation Agency to finance the north-south commuter railway project’s Tutuban-Malolos component.

According to the consulting deal, the project cost will not exceed $52,175,124 (P2,023,739,834).

The PNR Clark project takes the place of the defunct Northrail project, which was scuttled after the government and its Chinese contractor agreed to an out-of-court settlement, ending years of arbitration proceedings, according to the DOTr.  —TONETTE OREJAS