The Department of Transportation on Tuesday said it is on track to complete the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project by 2027.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the rail project is being fast-tracked to meet commuter demands.
The agency reported that the right-of-way (ROW) in four of six stations (Apalit, Angeles, Clark and Clark International Airport in Pampanga) have been handed over to the contractor at 100 percent. As for the Malolos to Clark segment, 76 percent of ROW issues have been similarly resolved.
DOTr undersecretary for railways and current Philippine National Railways (PNR) general manager Jeremy S. Regino said progress of the construction of the NSCR is on schedule, especially the Tutuban-Malolos (N1) and the Malolos-Clark (N2) segments.
The entire project is expected to begin partial operations from West Valenzuela to Malolos in the second quarter of 2027 with full operations to start in the third quarter of 2029.
As a flagship project under the Build Better More Program, the NSCR is a mega railway network spanning 148 kilometers with 37 stations and 464 train cars and encompassing three segments—the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos), PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Solis-Calamba).
The mass transport system, which stretches across 26 cities and municipalities within the three regions of Central Luzon, the National Capital Region, and CALABARZON is slated to serve over a million passengers daily once fully operational.
It is also seen to enhance connectivity and mobility as well as provide the commuting public with long-lasting comfort and convenience.
The project aims to reduce travel time between Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna to just two hours and service over 800,000 passengers daily.
