Manila starts bidding process for rail mega project

Interested parties were invited to prequalify to bid for the 30-billion-Philippine-peso (Bt21.86 billion) construction deal to extend Manila’s light railway southwest to neighbouring Cavite province. The process to find a private contractor for the mega-project, a 21km rail extension, has finally begun, as the Aquino administration tries to live up to expectations of faster growth and lower poverty through higher infrastructure spending. The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) on Monday published its invitation for interested parties to prequalify to bid for the PP30-billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Extension contract. The existing line from Baclaran to Roosevelt serves an average of 488,000 passengers per day. The highest passenger traffic on record was 659,000 passengers. Interested parties were given until August 22 to secure bid documents from the DoTC. Both local and foreign groups are welcomed to join.