By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With transportation among the administration’s top priorities, the government is eyeing the proposed allocation of P197.3 billion under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to expedite major rail projects nationwide.
In a briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced this development in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to enhance the country’s transportation sector.
Usec. Castro expounded, “Ang hakbang na ito ay para pabilisin ang pag-usad ng North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System na inaasahang magpapagaan sa biyahe ng mga commuter at magpapasigla sa ekonomiya ng bansa.”
Among the items under the P197 billion proposal were as follows:
- NSCR Project (P123.84 billion)
- Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1 (P67.44 billion)
- MRT Line 3 Rehabilitation Project (P1.94 billion)
- LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project (P1.17 billion)
- LRT Line 1 South Extension Project (P603 million)
These investments in railway infrastructure, especially for the NSCR Project, are expected to alleviate the burden on commuters, especially for those residing and working in the National Capital Region.
It would also help reduce traffic congestion in crowded metropolitan areas and ensure that public funds are funneled into facilities that benefit the common folk.
The NSCR system is a 147-kilometer railway comprised of 35 stations that will link several places in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Laguna to key destinations in Metro Manila, and will interconnect with existing LRT and MRT lines as well as the future Metro Manila Subway System.
jpv
