With some of the largest railway operators in the world also expressing their interest.
In its recent press release, the Department of Transportation said that it has seen an “encouraging” amount of prospective bidders for the Operations and Management (O&M) of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
The said public-private partnership has received the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) clearance from President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, which Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said “shows the administration’s trust in private firms to handle the country’s biggest railway system.”
He then reflected on the high turnout of bidders, “The high turnout also displays the investors’ confidence sa ating pamahalaan at sa ating ekonomiya. Dapat talaga magtulungan ang gobyerno at pribadong sektor para mapaganda at mas maging epektibo ang pagpapatakbo ng mga transport infrastructure sa bansa.”
Following a series of market sounding roadshows earlier this year in Singapore, Paris, Manila, and Japan, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan noted, “Very encouraging ‘yung turnout ng prospective bidders.“
He continued, “Napakahalaga nitong ginagawa nating procurement ng operations and maintenance provider para sa NSCR dahil alam natin na hindi sapat na maipatayo lang natin itong bagong linyang ito. Ngunit, napakahalaga din na masigurado na maayos ang magiging pagpapatakbo nito.”
Batan also stressed the importance of having a qualified railway operator to handle the O&M of the railway system to ensure its operational efficiency and the safety of passengers.
“Tinataya natin na abot isang milyong pasahero ang gagamit nitong NSCR pagka full operations. At para masigurado na convenient, efficient at ligtas itong pagpapatakbo ng NSCR ay kinakailangan na makahanap at makapili tayo ng qualified at experienced na operator. At ‘yan ang ginagawa natin dito sa prosesong ito,” he explained.
The transport official further stated that interested parties include operators of some of the world’s largest and most-complicated rail systems, which is something that the government is lookin to partner with.
The tender for the NSCR O&M PPP was launched on October 20, 2025 and is being tendered under the new PPP Code and its IRR.
Among the firms that attended the Pre-Bid Conference for the NSCR O&M PPP recently include the Tokyo Metro, JR East, JR West, Mitsubishi Corp., and Sumitomo Corp. from Japan; Transdev, RATP, Keolis, and Alstom from France; and First Balfour, Inc. and San Miguel Corporation (SMC) from the Philippines.
President Marcos has since directed the DOTr to choose the most qualified and competent companies for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the 147-kilometer rail system.
The NSCR will run from Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna, reducing travel time to less than 2.5 hours from the usual 4 hours via land travel between both stops.
The system will feature the country’s first Airport Express Service, which will connect CRK to Makati in less than an hour. The NSCR will also connect Clark to Alabang in less than 1 hour 15 mins.
For the first time in the Philippines, it will also have a ‘Through Train Interoperations’ with the upcoming Metro Manila Subway.
The 35-station rail system is expected to generate 350,000 jobs during construction and operations, and serve almost 1 million passengers daily once its full operations begin.
The partial operations for the NSCR’s Valenzuela to Malolos segment is set to start in December 2027, while the Malolos to Clark segment is targeted to be operational by October 2028.