Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade has ordered the immediate completion of the first two segments of the massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
So far, he said, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phases 1 and 2 are “on track.”
“We have a lot of catching up to do with so little time left. I want people to benefit from this project immediately—that’s why I have been pushing, and pressuring the railway sector really hard to fast-track the construction works in the best way possible,” he said.
According to PNR General Manager Junn B. Magno, the PNR Clark Phase 1, which runs from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, has an overall progress rate of 43 percent and a construction phase rate of 11.78 percent as of end-January.
“This should be partially operable by the fourth quarter of 2021 and full operations will be in the second quarter of 2024,” he said.
PNR Clark Phase 1 aims to cut travel time between Tutuban and Malolos from 1 hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes and increase railway capacity to 330,000 passengers per day.
Magno noted that PNR Clark Phase 2, which will run between Malolos, Bulacan and Clark, Pampanga, has an overall progress rate of 27.79 percent as of end January. Once finished, this segment will cut travel time between Bulacan and Pampanga to 35 minutes from an hour and a half.
Based on the government’s indicative timelines, the 54-kilometer segment of the NSCR will be partially operable by the second quarter of 2023, and its full operations is slated for the third quarter of 2024. It can accommodate 150,000 passengers per day.