The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has started construction of the extradosed bridge component of the North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project (NSCR-Ex) in San Fernando, Pampanga, with completion targeted by August 2027.
The groundbreaking ceremony, held on October 2, was led by the DOTr, along with the Greater Capital Railway Consortium (GCR) and Acciona-DL E&C Joint Venture (ADJV). The project had faced a four-year delay due to right-of-way and civil works issues, which have now been resolved by the DOTr’s Right-of-Way and Site Acquisition (ROWSA) team, under assistant secretary Irish Cunanan Calaguas. The resolution was made possible through collaboration with local governments and the leadership of acting transport secretary Giovanni Lopez and former DOTr secretary Vince Dizon.
Part of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project (Contract Package N-02), the 300-meter cable-stayed bridge will serve as a key link in the 147.26-kilometer NSCR System, which will span 35 stations across Metro Manila (NCR), Central Luzon (Region III), and Calabarzon (Region IV-A).
Assistant secretary for railways Eduardo Macabulos described the bridge as a “symbol of progress, resilience, and collaboration,” and a vital link toward the vision of a modern and efficient railway system.
The NSCR System, with a total cost of ₱873.6 billion, is the largest infrastructure project financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific to date, with co-financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
As of June 2025, the Malolos-Clark Railway Project is 42.4 percent complete. Once operational in 2028, it is expected to cut travel time between Malolos and Clark from nearly three hours to just one hour. Another segment, the 56.86-km South Commuter Railway Project connecting Manila to Calamba, aims to reduce travel time from up to two hours to just 45 minutes.
Upon full operation, the NSCR System is expected to serve 800,000 passengers daily and generate 350,000 jobs, supporting the government’s goal of delivering more comfortable and efficient transport options for Filipinos.
