These firms have sent their interest in the project.
During a recent joint Market Sounding activity held by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday, May 14 in Mandaluyong City, multiple firms have expressed their interest to participate in the MRT-3 project.
According to the DOTr, 74 firms from 14 countries are looking to bag the contract for the Capacity Expansion, Operations, and Maintenance (CEOM) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project.
“Sa tulong ng pribadong sektor, magagawa ang expansion ng MRT-3. Ginagawa natin ito para sa hassle-free na biyahe ng mga komyuter. At natutuwa tayo na maraming kumpanya ang inteesado sa proyektong ito,” said Transportation Secretary Giovanmi Lopez.
Under the MRT-3 CEOM PPP Project, the winning bidder will take over the operations and maintenance of the existing line.
They must also ensure continued operations without service interruption and manage the MRT-3 area in the upcoming Common Station with LRT-1 and MRT-7.
The partner will also be responsible in introducing new Dalian trains in the commercial service, add new rolling stock, and upgrade the signalling, depot, power and communication systems, among others.
DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan noted, “Itong MRT-3 PPP, it is a very viable and promising project.“
“This is an existing line, and we know that historically, we know ‘yung ridership nito can reach up to 620,000 to 630,000 people a day. In terms of ridership, in terms of demand so sigurado tayo meron dito sa MRT-3 and I think that’s the reason, ‘yang viability na ‘yan ang dahilan kung bakit sa Market Sounding natin ay napakaraming nag attend,” added Batan.
Undersecretary Batan added that the market sounding is a good indication of the prospective bidders’ confidence in the projects of the government.
Meanwhile, ADB Country Director for the Philippines Andrew Jeffries said, “With this MRT-3 CEOM PPP Project, we’re proud and quite privileged to be a partner of the government of the Philippines in this endeavor to improve the overall connectivity for the Filipino people.”
For PPP Center of the Philippines Undersecretary and Executive Director Rizza Blanco-Latorre, “The DOTr has consistently supported public-private partnerships and continues to recognize the private sector’s capacity to help deliver world-class transportation infrastructures and services.”