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The Philippine's Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), along with its attached agency, the Philippine National Railways (PNR), has launched a two stage bidding process for the North-South Railway Project (NSRP) (South Line).

The preferred bidder will be responsible for the design, construct, install, commission, finance the following:

• Commuter Rail from Tutuban, Manila to Calamba, Laguna (56km); and

• Long-Haul Rail from Tutuban, Manila to Legazpi, Albay in the Bicol Region (478km) with the following possible extensions: Calamba, Laguna to Batangas City, Batangas (58km); and (b) Legazpi, Albay to Matnog, Sorsogon (117km).

The PPP project will also improve long-haul and commuter stations, repair bridges, and modernize signaling and fare collection systems. In addition to designing and building the railway, the winners of the PPP concession will also operate and maintain the South Line for 30 years.

The total project investment is estimated at P170.7 billion (US$3.76 billion).

In May the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) signed an agreement to provide joint advice to DOTC on the PPP structure and bidding process for the project. The deal marked ADB's first transaction advisory service in the Philippines and its first in the transport sector.

On 19 February we reported that the government of Philippines approved the project along with two other PPPs, the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road and the Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAx).

We have recently reported about several PPP projects in Philippines:

• Philippine airport package A and  package B
• New Centennial Water Source Project
• Batman1 gas pipeline project
• Regional Prison Facilities PPP project
• Development of the Davao Sasa Port in Philippines