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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Stock Market devider Leighton, First Balfour joint venture begins work on ₱24-billion tunnel segment

Leighton, First Balfour joint venture begins work on ₱24-billion tunnel segment

Published Oct 20, 2025 01:38 pm
First Balfour and Leighton start construction of a crucial part of the Philippines’ largest railway project.
First Balfour and Leighton start construction of a crucial part of the Philippines’ largest railway project.
A joint venture between Hong Kong construction firm Leighton Asia and the Lopez Group’s First Balfour, Inc. has begun erecting the critical diaphragm-wall structure for the underground station of the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
In a statement, First Balfour said the structural milestone marked a key advance in the nation’s largest infrastructure undertaking, designed to cut travel times in the main island of Luzon.
The Leighton-First Balfour Joint Venture (LFBJV) initiated construction on the reinforced concrete diaphragm-wall for the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) station, located beneath Bicutan in Taguig City. The wall is essential for foundational stability and retaining earth for the complex underground hub. Representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOTR) and the Greater Capital Railway Consortium (GCR-PMO) recently attended a ceremony to acknowledge the progress.
The FTI station is part of the ₱23.9billion Contract Package NSCR 03-B, awarded to LFBJV in 2023. The segment involves civil engineering, tunneling, and building works for 6.1 kilometers of the railway, which includes 4.7 kilometers of twin-tube tunnels and cross passages.
The 147-kilometer NSCR is the country’s most expensive railway project, with a total cost estimated at ₱873.6 billion.
Once fully operational, the system will span from Clark, Pampanga, to Calamba, Laguna, linking three major regions. It is projected to carry up to 800,000 commuters daily, with trains running at speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour.
Critically, the FTI station is positioned as a primary intermodal transfer hub. It will connect the NSCR’s surface and elevated tracks directly with the 33-kilometer underground Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), which is also under construction.
The intersection point is central to the government’s strategy to integrate Manila’s transit networks and ease persistent road congestion.
The LFBJV combines Leighton Asia’s international expertise in complex tunneling and rail networks—with projects across Asia—and First Balfour’s extensive local track record, which includes the North Luzon Expressway and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. Full NSCR operation is currently anticipated by 2029.

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North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR)
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