By Aerol John Pateña/PNA
MANILA — The governments of the Philippines and Japan have signed an exchange of notes over the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Extension Project on Wednesday.
The exchange of notes was signed by Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda during the sixth Philippines-Japan High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation, the Department of Transportation announced in a statement (DOTr) on Thursday.
The NSCR Extension Project will be financed through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“Particulars of the funding for the extension project are not yet available pending the official Memorandum of Agreement,” the DOTr said.
The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board has approved last Nov. 15 the NSCR Extension Project, which is part of the 147-kilometer NSCR System Project.
The NSCR System Project, which has a total cost of PHP 777.75 billion, will integrate the PNR Clark Phase 1 from Tutuban to Malolos, PNR Clark Phase 2 from Malolos to Clark International Airport and PNR Calamba from Solis to Calamba.
The project will consist of 36 stations and a double-track elevated railway system that will connect the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon; and enable seamless transfer of passengers with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), LRT-2, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the Mega Manila Subway.
