{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"ADB private sector financing supports two new Bangkok MRT lines","date":"2019-06-10 01:38:11","id":1634,"author":"","blurb":"\n\t\n\n\n\n","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2019/06/1559877907593_transportation-1572349_1920.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement with a financing package of 9.9 billion Thai baht (US$311 million equivalent) for the construction and operation of the Pink and Yellow lines of Bangkok’s mass rapid transit (MRT) system.

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“Bangkok’s continued status as one of Southeast Asia’s global business hubs depends on relieving traffic congestion and increasing sustainable public transport services,” said Christopher Thieme, deputy director general of ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department. “ADB’s assistance will catalyse commercial financing for Thailand’s MRT sector and help provide a wider choice of affordable and efficient public transport for Bangkok’s rapidly growing population.”

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“ADB’s involvement as a lender enhanced the overall bankability of the project by providing a long tenor repayment profile. It will provide more flexibility on cashflow management and help mitigate ridership risk at the opening stage of the project,” said Terence C. K. Kong, executive director and deputy chief executive officer of BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited. “This enables us to deliver a successful project and a public transport option that will be efficient, safe and environmentally friendly.”

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ADB’s financing package is comprised of two B4.95 billion loans to the Northern Bangkok Monorail Company Limited (NBM) and the Eastern Bangkok Monorail Company Limited (EBM) for the construction and operation of the two new lines. These will add to the five existing lines currently operating in Thailand’s capital area.

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The Pink Line, under NBM, will operate between Min Buri district in Bangkok and Khae Rai in Nonthaburi province, with a total length of about 34.5 km. EBM’s Yellow Line will operate between Lat Phrao in Bangkok and Samrong in Samut Prakan province with a total length of about 30 km.

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NBM and EBM are special purpose vehicles established by BSR Joint Venture (BSR) to operate the Pink and Yellow MRT lines, respectively. BSR is a joint venture comprising BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Company Limited, and Ratch Group Public Company Limited.

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The construction of Metro Manila Subway – the Philippines’ first underground railway system – has recently started. It will comprise 15 stations from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay and FTI in Taguig, all connected through a 36-km rail line.

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Metro Manila Subway is deemed one of the most ambitious and monumental infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ programme. According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), this new railway system will run at 80 km/ per hour, crossing seven local governments and passing through three of Metro Manila’s business districts in just 30 minutes.

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Guided by Japan’s expertise in railways, the project will feature technological advancements and disaster-resilient strategies aimed to boost the Subway’s structural integrity amid regular occurrence of typhoons and earthquakes, revealed the DOTr.

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The project is expected to commence partial operations by 2022 for its first three stations (Quirino Highway – Mindanao Avenue Station, Tandang Sora Station, and North Avenue Station), while the entire rail line is scheduled to be fully operational by 2025. It is expected to serve 370,000 passengers daily in its first year of full operations, with a design capacity that can accommodate up to 1.5 million passengers per day.

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The DOTr has signed the contract for the design and build of the Partial Operability Section with the joint venture of Shimizu Corporation, Fujita Corporation, Takenaka Civil Engineering Co Ltd and EEI Corporation.

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The Partial Operability Section includes the first three stations, the depot in Valenzuela, and structures for the Philippine Railway Institute (PRI) that will be the primary policy-making body for the Subway.

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The DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, in his message, said that each subway station will feature an intermodal facility that will make transfers to and from road-based transport seamless and convenient.

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The new Subway will also be connected with other major rail lines, such as the PNR Clark, PNR Calamba and the Common Station, to ensure interconnectivity, intermodality and interoperability, added the DOTr.

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The construction of Metro Manila Subway is a collaborative effort with the Japanese government through a PhP 365-billion Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

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To mitigate the social impact of the project, the DOTr, in collaboration with the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), National Housing Authority (NHA) and the City Government of Valenzuela, awarded certificates of entitlement to affected Informal Settler Families (ISFs) for their relocation to Disiplina Village II, Barangay Bignay in Valenzuela City.

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The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a loan agreement with the government of Sri Lanka to provide up to 30.04 billion yen for the new light rail transit (LRT) system in Colombo.

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The project plans to have 16 stations distributed over 15.7 km of track in and around the city, thus enhancing the capacity and improve the safety and comfort of public transport, stated JICA. It added that the project also aims to improve the urban environment through a reduction in air pollution and other traffic pollution, and to stimulate socioeconomic activities in the area.

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The project is expected to complete in April 2026, when the facilities are put into service.

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The Colombo Light Rail Transit is an important element of Sri Lanka’s Megapolis Transport Masterplan – which is also part of the country’s Megapolis Masterplan. It is intended to run through Malabe and Colombo Fort.

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For detailed information on the project: https://www.clr.lk

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SMEC, as part of a joint venture, has been appointed as general consultant to manage and supervise the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project in the Philippines.

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SMEC, as part of a joint venture led by Oriental Consultants Global Company Limited, has been appointed as general consultant to manage and supervise the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project in the Philippines.

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Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the NSCR is a 38 km long commuter railway line that connects Malolos in the province of Bulacan to Tutuban in Manila. It is part of an overall initiative by the Philippine government to expand the existing mass transportation in metropolitan Manila and adjacent areas, and alleviate serious traffic congestion in and around the capital city.

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SMEC’s scope of work includes: construction supervision; design review; tender assistance; and facilitation of the Environment Management Plan, Environment Monitoring Plan and Resettlement Action Plan. SMEC was also part of the joint venture that successfully completed the civil works design last year.

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