By Katrina Gracia Consebido
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Friday that partial operations of the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project will begin in the third quarter of 2026 while full operations are set in 2029.
Bautista said during the contract signing of the NSCR’s Contract Package (CP) NS-01 that the Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga section will be operational in 2026.
“Three years more, we should see full operations of the whole NSCR,” he added.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Mitsubishi Corp. signed the CP NS-01 in Malacañang. This was witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Bautista thanked Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Asian Development Bank for co-financing the project.
The NSCR project is expected to “bring ease of mobility and connectivity” to the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon. Around 110,000 jobs are also eyed with the construction.
The project will serve 800,000 passengers daily and cut the travel time from Clark Airport in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna to two hours. It will have 35 stations with 51 commuter train sets and seven express train sets.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called the NSCR Project a “landmark initiative” that will “connect the country more than ever.”
CP NS-01 covers the mainline and depot trackworks, signaling system, telecommunications, substation power supply, power distribution system, and overhead contact line system. This is worth P110.4 billion. -ag
