A contract for the acquisition of new Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) south extension project was signed between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Mitsubishi Corp in Clark City, Pampanga.

In a signing ceremony Friday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Mitsubishi Corp. senior vice president Tetsuji Nakagawa sealed the agreement to procure 120 new LRVs for the line’s 12-kilometer extension from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite.

The contract signing was also witnessed by Ambassador of Spain Luis Calvo Castano, representatives from the Embassy of Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Light Rail Manila Corporation, and ranking officials of the DOTr.

In his speech, Tugade said it is time to put meaning and reality to a project that has been delayed for so long.

“It is a beautiful day because we are putting life to a project that has been delayed for a long time. No way will I delay any further. No way will I procrastinate. It is high time to put this project in high motion,” said Tugade.

The Cavite Extension project was first approved by the NEDA-ICC in 2000 as an unsolicited proposal, and later approved by the NEDA Board in 2012 and 2013 as a combined Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) project.

The first bidding for the 120 LRVs from October 2015 to February 2016 failed, causing further delays. Upon assuming office, Tugade negotiated with the Japanese government on some requirements in the ODA loan to ensure a successful and competitive second bidding.

“We are particularly proud of two things. First, the active participation of Japanese, Spanish, and Korean firms demonstrates the openness, transparency, and efficiency of the bidding process. Second, the final contract price is not only within budget, but is also approximately 20% lower than the bid price of the next-ranked bidder,” added Assistant Secretary for Railways Timothy John Batan.

The 120 LRVs are designed with four-LRV configuration. Each train set would have a minimum of 1,388 passengers, sitting and standing. They are expected to be energy efficient and have low maintenance cost.

The first four LRVs are expected to be delivered on August 31, 2020 while the next delivery of 40 LRVs are due on December 31, 2020. Mitsubishi Corp.- Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarrile, the project sub-contractor based in Spain, is expected to complete the delivery of 120 LRVs on December 31, 2021.

The LRT-1 Cavite Extension project ison the final design stage and pre-construction activities. Actual construction will start next year and will be completed within the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. DMS