Hyundai E&C won an urban railway project of a total of KRW 1.9 trillion that penetrates across Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

On Sunday, September 18, Hyundai E&C announced that it received a Notification of Award (NOA) for the construction of South Commuter Railway Project Contract Package S-4/5/6, which is a KRW 1.9 trillion (USD 1.334 billion) project by the Department of Transportation of the Philippines.

The South Commuter Railway project is a project aimed to construct a railway of a total length of 56km that connects Manila to Calamba in the southern region. Hyundai E&C will be responsible for building 3 sections (sections 4·5·6) out of a total of 9 along with 9 ground stations and a 32km-long overpass. The construction period is 57 months. The leading company of this project, Hyundai E&C, will oversee the entire construction except for some parts of the foundation work that Dong-Ah Geological will be taking part in. Hyundai E&C’s portion of the project accounts for 90% or approximately KRW 1.7 trillion (USD 1.2 billion) of the total project budget.

Hyundai E&C successfully reentered the Philippine construction market in 34 years by winning the northern section of the South-North railway project in 2020 through strategic bidding. The South Commuter Railway project is an achievement based on the rich and longstanding experience in large-scale railway projects Hyundai E&C has accumulated at home and abroad as well as being recognized for its outstanding technology in the northern section of the South-North railway project the company is currently implementing.

By winning big railway projects of the Philippines government consecutively over world renowned competitors, Hyundai E&C has gained a competitive advantage in the construction market in the Philippines, which is expected to have more large-scale development projects in the future.

Hyundai E&C believes that there will be more large-scale infrastructure projects in the Philippines as the new government declared to expand the previous administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ policy. Hyundai E&C plans to strengthen cooperation for the development of infrastructure in the country. The large-scale railway project that the Philippine government is pursuing will contribute to enhancing the quality of life of its citizens by resolving traffic congestion and improving convenience in regional mobility centered around Manila. It is also expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by improving the traffic system.

An official at Hyundai E&C said, “the new project is a valuable achievement gained in a challenging situation where the global construction market contracted due to the impact of COVID-19. Hyundai E&C will build infrastructure of high level of completeness based on our railway construction technology and knowhows gained in the global market” and added, “we aim to continue to elevate our status as a global top-tier company by strengthening our overall competitiveness in design, technology, and implementation and pursuing future growth engine projects.”

Starting with the northern express railway project in Iraq in 1982, Hyundai E&C is currently implementing 14 global subway and railway projects in 7 countries. The company has become a leading company in global railway construction by winning the South Commuter Railway project following the Line railway tunnel project in Neom, Saudi Arabia in June this year as well as the Panama Metro Line 3 construction project and the construction of the northern section of the South-North railway project in 2020.