Order Received to Supply 304 for the Philippines’ North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Masayuki Hyodo) and Japan Transport Engineering Company (Head Office: Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Takao Nishiyama; hereinafter, “J-TREC”) have received an order from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) of the Republic of the Philippines for the delivery of train cars for the project to extend the North-South Commuter Railway which connects the Metropolitan Manila area with its neighboring cities (304 train cars, contract amount of approximately 72.5 billion yen) (hereinafter referred to as the "Project").

In the Metropolitan Manila area, where rapid economic and population growth continues, traffic congestion and air pollution caused by this concentration of population are becoming increasingly serious year by year, and this has focused attention on rail transportation, an energy-efficient means of transporting large numbers of people. The Philippines government is promoting a large-scale infrastructure development plan called "Build Build Build" and the North-South Commuter Railway Project is positioned as a core project of this plan. In addition to Phase 1, whose construction is well under way (approximately 40 kilometers connecting Malolos, Bulacan and Tutuban, Manila), once the extensions in the north from Clark（Clark International Airport）, Pampanga to Malolos, and in the south from Tutuban to Calamba, Laguna (approximately 110 kilometers combined) are completed, the entire line will be approximately 150 kilometers long. By expanding the transportation network in the Metropolitan Manila area and shifting transportation from automobiles to railway, we can expect to see significant improvements in traffic congestion and air pollution.

The Project is to be undertaken as part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program of Japan based on a loan aid agreement between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Philippines government. We will be designing and manufacturing 304 train cars (38 trainsets of 8 cars) for the route running from Clark to Calamba, with all train cars to be delivered to DOTr by around 2028. Sumitomo Corporation and J-TREC received orders of  the delivery of train cars for Phase 1 of the North-South Commuter Railway Project in July 2019 and the delivery of train cars for Metro Manila Subway Project in December 2020.

Sumitomo Corporation has worked on numerous railway development and train car export projects primarily in Asia and the United States. Particularly in the Metropolitan Manila area, we have a track record of having received and fulfilled orders for several existing lines (LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3). At present, Sumitomo Corporation takes part in the operation of LRT -1 and is executing the rehabilitation and maintenance agreement for MRT-3. By leveraging our extensive experience in transportation infrastructure projects, we will continue to contribute to realizing sustainable growth and creating a decarbonized society in the Philippines as we work to achieve the steady and smooth implementation of this project.

J-TREC is one of the Japan's leading manufacturers of stainless-steel commuter train cars. The company has designed and manufactured a wide range of products, including high-speed trains, express trains, and hybrid system trains, including fuel cell train cars that use hydrogen to realize a decarbonized society. In recent years, J-TREC has been actively developing "sustina", the next-generation stainless-steel train cars (see note*1), and contributing to the development of regional infrastructure. In the Southeast Asian market, the company delivered cars for the Purple Line in Bangkok, Thailand in 2016 and is currently in the process of fulfilling contracts to deliver cars for Phase 1 of the North-South Commuter Railway Project and Metro Manila Subway Project. Following these projects, J-TREC will also be introducing "sustina" in this project to contribute to the development of transportation infrastructure in the Metropolitan Manila area.

(Note) *1 “sustina”
Sustina is the product for the next-generation stainless-steel train cars featuring higher energy conservation, enhanced safety and high maintainability designed and manufactured by J-TREC utilizing common platform for stability of transportation. It has been adopted by many railway lines, especially major lines in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.

(Reference material)

■Outline of this Project

■Route map

■Image of train car when completed