The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is inviting foreign and local private sector partners to bid for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) through a public-private partnership (PPP). The move aims to deliver a “reliable, safe, and world-class commuter rail service” and supports sustainable urban mobility, the DOTr said in an invitation to bid. - Advertisement - The agency is seeking a highly qualified private sector partner to ensure the efficient, effective and sustainable O&M of the NSCR in accordance with the highest industry standards throughout the concession period. Several companies have shown significant interest, including Mitsubishi Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo Metro, Sumitomo Corp., Alstom Japan and French rail operators. Market sounding activities were previously conducted in Japan, Singapore, France and Manila. Bidders may participate in the process and access the virtual data room upon paying a non-refundable participation fee of P1.16 million. The instruction to riders were made publicly available on Oct. 20, and the tentative bid submission date is May 29, 2026. Bidding is open to all interested foreign and local parties, subject to qualification conditions under the bidding documents, the Constitution, the PPP Code and PPP Code IRR and other applicable laws and jurisprudence. The DOTr said, however, it reserves the right to reject any or all bids, declare a failure of bidding, modify the bidding documents or any aspect thereof, and/or not award the contract for any reason. The NSCR, a flagship project under the “Build Better More” program, is a mega railway network spanning 148 kilometers, with 37 stations and 464 train cars. It encompasses three segments: PNR Clark Phase one (Tutuban-Malolos), PNR Clark Phase two (Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Solis-Calamba). The mass transport project will run across 26 cities and municipalities in Central Luzon, the National Capital Region and Calabarzon. The project aims to serve over 800,000 passengers daily once fully operational. The Clark to Valenzuela segment is scheduled to start operations by 2028. The NSCR is one of the key projects intended to help decongest Metro Manila roads.