QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --The North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project will resurrect the once proud culture of rail transport in the Philippines, according to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) awarded the two contract packages for the much-awaited railway infrastructure in the Philippine history — the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project in a ceremony held in Malacañang on Thursday, 27 April 2023.
Bautista joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in awarding the respective contract packages of North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project to the winning bidders Acciona-DMCI joint venture and to Leighton-First Balfour JV.
“We have often underscored the significant economic and social benefits this new railway will bring to residents in Central Luzon and the CALABARZON area. This ambitious project will resurrect the once proud culture of rail transport in the Philippines,” Bautista said.
The first package consists of a 7.9-km elevated railway from Blumentritt to San Andres Bukid in Manila, with three stations in España, Sta.Mesa and Paco.
The second package is a 6.1-km railway to run alongside a portion of the South Luzon Expressway that includes a 4.7-km underground railway and a 4.1-km ground level railway with stations at the Food Terminal Inc or FTI.
Once completed in 2029, the 147-km NSCR will make travel time from Clark Airport in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna to less than 2 hours from 4-4.5 hours.
The NSCR can accommodate some 800,000 passengers a day. During its construction, approximately 110,000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be generated.
In separate development in the railways sector, the DOTr, in collaboration with Philippine National Railways (PNR), signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Department of Environment and Natural Resources region IV-A (DENR IV-A) for the MRT-4 project.
Another MOA was also inked by the DOTr, PNR and DENR Region V for the South Long Haul to step up the acquisition of the right-of-way and speed up the completion of the infrastructure projects. (dotr/pia-ncr)
