First Balfour, together with its joint venture partner Leighton Asia, officially signed the PhP 22.2-billion Contract Package (CP) S-03A of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) last 13 July 2023 at the Malacañan Palace.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista and First Balfour President Anthony Fernandez sign the CP S-03A contract. Photo credit – Office of the President
The JV was among the contractors joining the signing for the three remaining civil works packages alongside Indonesia’s PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk and PT PP (Persero) Tbk who won S-01 and S-03C.
The event was graced by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. who highlighted that the project is the realization of a more efficient and inclusive public transportation system. In his speech, he shared, “With the signing of these three contract packages that cover a total of around 14.9 kilometers of at-grade and railway viaduct structures, we will be a step closer to our goal of serving around 800,000 commuters daily by 2029.”
Awarded by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in June 2023, CP S-03A covers the construction of 7.9 kilometers of railway viaduct, one elevated station in Buendia, and two ground level station buildings at EDSA and Senate. It directly connects to CP S-03B, which was also awarded to the JV in April this year.
First Balfour President and Chief Operating Officer Anthony L. Fernandez shared, “On behalf of the JV, we are honored to play a key role to support the government’s strategic plan to boost economic and urban growth development between Metro Manila and Southern Luzon. We will work closely together with other parties and stakeholders to ensure this asset will elevate and transform the Philippines’ transport system.”
The NSCR system is a 147-kilometer rail infrastructure project jointly funded by the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Philippine government. It will primarily run along the Philippine National Railways alignment and will have 37 stations in total. Once fully completed in 2029, the NSCR will reduce the travel time between Clark International Airport in Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna from four hours via road to two hours via train.
