Mitsubishi bags P9 billion airport train deal

MANILA, Philippines — The supplier of the new generation trains for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) has bagged a P9-billion deal to provide the airport express for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).

Based on a document obtained by The STAR, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued Contract Package (CP) NS-03 to Japanese multinational Mitsubishi Corp.

With the approval, Mitsubishi bags the contract to deliver the rolling stock for the limited express of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project, the northern section of the NSCR, and South Commuter Railway Project, the southern end of the NSCR.

Mitsubishi submitted a bid for CP NS-03 together with Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF). The two worked jointly for Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) in building the Generation 4 trains of the LRT-1.

This time, Mitsubishi and CAF will make the airport trains that will run from Clark International Airport to Alabang, stopping in a few stations between the two points. The DOTr hopes to ease the transfer between the Clark and Manila airports through the limited express of the NSCR.

For this project, Mitsubishi and CAF are expected to receive nearly P9 billion from the DOTr.

Broken down, CP NS-03 will be paid in three currencies: P844.49 million; 125.45 million euros or P7.5 billion and $3.39 million or P193 million.

For LRT-1, Mitsubishi and CAF manufactured the Gen 4 trains that LRMC started to deploy to the main line in July, with the goal of adding one train set a week until December.

The Gen 4 trains produced by Mitsubishi and CAF are capable of hitting speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour and transporting close to 1,400 passengers per trip. LRMC, the operator of LRT-1, plans to operate a fleet of 30 Gen 4 trains once all the units are delivered.

Abroad, Mitsubishi and CAF have teamed up to bag railway contracts across countries in Asia and the Pacific. In 2020 the partners won the $663 million deal to supply train sets for the expansion of rail systems in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.

On top of this, they also hold the concession to operate and maintain the Canberra Light Rail Transit and also created train cars for Istanbul Metro, one of the largest railways in Turkey.

Once completed in 2028, the NSCR would span about 147 kilometers, covering three regions in Luzon and linking New Clark City with Calamba.