Global rail giants, SMC to vie for NSCR deal

December 26, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Some of the world’s largest rail experts have expressed interest in managing what would become the country’s biggest infrastructure project, placing them alongside Philippine builders like San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and First Balfour Inc.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is growing more confident that the private turnover of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) will attract multiple bids.

Based on the pre-bid conference, the P229-billion concession to operate and maintain the NSCR has caught the attention of local conglomerates and foreign developers from as far as France and Japan.

In particular, the conference was attended by Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd. — which manages the Tokyo Metro — and East Japan Railway Co., operator of Japan’s famous bullet train Shinkansen.

Other interested parties include Japanese multinationals Mitsubishi Corp. and Sumitomo Corp.

From France, the concession drew interest from the Transdev Group, which offers transit options in 19 countries; state-run firm RATP Group, transport provider in Greater Paris and beyond and the Keolis Group, another global mobility innovator. Alstom SA, the developer of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 Cavite Extension, also participated.

From the Philippines, SMC appears ready to vie for a new concession after winning last year the P170.6-billion deal to upgrade the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

SMC is also the PPP partner of the government in building the Metro Rail Transit Line 7, which has been slumped with multiple delays and is now close to a decade under construction.

Lopez-led First Balfour took part in the conference to relay its interest, boasting a portfolio of bagging two segments in the southern line of the NSCR.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the DOTr is satisfied with the number of participants in the pre-bidding conference.

Batan underscored the urgency of finding the NSCR a qualified manager, as the railway is projected to ferry up to 800,000 commuters daily.

The NSCR, costing P873.6 billion and co-funded by Japan, will run for 147 kilometers between Clark International Airport and Calamba, Laguna. The line, crossing three regions, will trim the travel time from point to point to just 2.5 hours, from four hours currently.

The NSCR will feature the country’s maiden airport express, a limited service that will link Clark with Makati in only an hour and with Alabang in below 1.25 hours.

To date, the DOTr expects the Valenzuela-Malolos line to start operations by December 2027 and the Malolos-Clark segment by October 2028.

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