DOTr marks 5 stations for R255-B commuter railway between Manila and Clark
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on June 26 marked five of the 17 stations of the R255-billion ManilaClark Railway Project connecting Manila to Central Luzon. These include Marilao and Meycauayan in Bulacan, Valenzuela, Caloocan, and Tutuban in Metro Manila.
The 106-km railway project will run from Tutuban, Manila to Clark, Pampanga, cutting the 2 to 3 hour travel time from Manila to Clark by 70 percent to just 55 minutes. Overall, the rail system stands to benefit 350,000 passengers daily on its first year of operations.
Apart from the marked stations, the 12 other stations are: Solis, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Malolos, Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark, Clark International Airport, and the proposed New Clark City in Pampanga.
Construction of the project will start in the last quarter of 2017 and will be completed by the last quarter of 2021. The project will be funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan.
The ongoing Detailed Engineering Design for the NSCR Project, conducted through Japan International Cooperation Agency grant, has been nearing completion. The design identified the locations of, and finalized the designs of, all the future stations.
“The NSCR aims to boost connectivity of emerging growth centers to Metro Manila and improve the mobility of the Filipino commuters,” said JICA Chief Representative Susumu Ito. “Once completed, it can help address traffic congestion and improve the quality of life of people living and working in urban areas in Metro Manila.”
The Philippine government and JICA signed on the ¥241.99-billion (US$1.992.17 billion) Loan Agreement for the NSCR Project on November 27, 2015.
The Project, which aims to be operational by 2022, will significantly reduce travel time from two hours using traditional transportation to 35 minutes from Malolos to Tutuban. The NSCR will also provide punctual service for the benefit of the commuters.
JICA added that once implemented, the NSCR could be a game changer in the Philippines’ public transport system whose population density is 19,000 persons for every one square kilometer, higher than Tokyo and most Asian cities.
The whole line will have 13 train sets with eight cars or coaches per train set. Each train can reach a maximum speed of 120 km per hour.
“For the first time, a rail project will connect Manila to Central Luzon and it will be completed under the Duterte administration,”noted DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade. “We hope to finish the term of President Duterte with at least 1,000 kilometers of railway system all over the country."
The project will also decongest the metropolis and spread economic gains throughout the country, added Philippine National Railways (PNR) General Manager Junn Magno. “This project will help thousands of commuters coming from Bulacan and Pampanga who travel daily to their workplaces or schools in Metro Manila.”
The PNR North railway project is one of the 61 infrastructure projects under the Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration. It will begin construction later this year and targeted for completion in 2021. It is designed to accommodate 350,000 passengers daily on its opening year.
Other rail projects include PNR South (Manila – Los Baños – Bicol) and Mindanao Railway. MRT-7, LRT-2 East Extension, and LRT-1 Cavite Extension projects are all undergoing construction.