Bidders to the 19-kilometer light rail line project that will connect Bacoor City and Dasmariñas City to Manila have been given a longer time to prepare their bids, as the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) moved to early June the submission deadline for pre-qualification documents.
DOTC has extended the deadline to June 2 from May 12 “in view of the requests for extension and in order to give bidders ample time to prepare their submissions,” said Edwin Lopez, DOTC undersecretary for operations and public-private partnership implementation, in General Bid Bulletin No. 05-2016.
Opening of the pre-qualification documents was originally scheduled for March 4.
DOTC late last year invited local and foreign companies to vie for the LRT Line 6 project that is seen “to improve transport mobility of residents, promote regional economic development and to enhance social equity of residents along the corridors of Cavite and Manila.”
The transport department noted that over one million commuters in Metro Manila are currently served daily by urban rail transit systems LRT Line 1, LRT Line 2, and Metro Rail Transit 3. Once completed, the proposed 19-kilometer light rail line project is expected to serve 45% of Cavite’s population and have 200,000 daily users.
Seven train stations will be put up for LRT Line 6 in the following locations: Niyog Station adjacent to the Niyog LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Station, Trinoma Station, Imus Transport Terminal Station, Daang Hari Station, Salitran Station, Congressional Avenue Station, and Governor’s Drive Station.
The project, to undergo a two-stage bidding process, covers the architectural design, detailed engineering, systems design, and construction of the rail line from Niyog, Bacoor City to Dasmariñas City; procuring, testing, and commissioning of all rolling stock, equipment, and support infrastructure requirements; operation and maintenance of the LRT Line 6 system; and project enhancement works.
DOTC did not disclose the project cost, but the PPP Center indicated on its website that it would be about P65 billion.
Aside from this project, DOTC has also lengthened the submission period for qualification documents for the North-South Railway project and North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway connector road project, for the filing of bids for the LRT Line 2 project, and for the development project involving five regional airports. As well, the agency has delayed the opening of bids for the Davao-Sasa Port modernization.
Earlier, PPP Center executive-director Andre Palacios said the current government has run out of time to award nine projects in the pipeline and will now “gift-wrap” these projects for the next administration.
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