The Department of Transportation said Friday it signed a P1.4-billion contract with a Spanish company for the detailed architectural and engineering design of the Metro Rail Transit Line 4 project.
It said the mobilization of the MRT 4 project started after it issued the notice of award to IDOM Consulting, Engineering, Architecture S.A. on Sept. 17.
IDOM, as the detailed architectural and engineering design consultant, will prepare the project’s preliminary design, detailed engineering and tender designs, the loan processing documents, financial and economical assessments, the project/loan safeguards documents and bidding documents for the MRT-4 project.
Under the agreement, IDOM is also tasked to determine the proper mode of transportation along the alignment and provide the methodology on ridership validation.
Funded by an official development assistance from the Asian Development Bank, the P59.3 billion MRT-4 is a proposed railway mass-transit system intended to serve and connect the eastern part of Metro Manila and the highly-populated areas of Rizal province.
“This partnership between Spain and the Philippines has resulted in a lot of benefits and advantages because contracts executed with the assistance patronage of the government of Spain is assured of quality and meeting timelines and deadlines,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
“You can be sure that there will be quality of performances, there will be no lack in funding and this project will be done and accomplished in the timelines set for ourselves,” he said.
Transportation Undersecretary for Railway Timothy John Batan said the project’s design stage would start in the fourth quarter, while early works would begin in the second quarter of 2022.
Batan said the construction period is between 2024 and 2027, while full operations were targeted by 2028.
Tugade pushed for an early completion and operation of the project.
The 15.56-kilometer rail line will link and traverse across the cities of Mandaluyong, San Juan, Quezon, Pasig and the municipalities of Cainta and Taytay in Rizal. It will have 11 stations from Quezon City to Taytay.
Once fully operational, travel time between N. Domingo in San Juan and Taytay will be around 30 minutes and will serve 234,433 passengers daily.