Clearing operations for the construction of the railway that will link to Central Luzon to Metro Manila begin.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade is inaugurating the project in Bulacan today.
Phase 1 starts in Marilao, Bulacan.
The project is called the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) that begins from Tutuban in Manila to Malolos.
It is funded by a $1.99-billion loan deal granted to the Philippine National Railways (PNR) by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The contract was signed in November 2015.
Construction will be in full blast by 2019.
DOTr expects the NSCR to be in operation in 2021 and 2022.
Tugade says, the 38-kilometer railway project will reduce travel time from Manila to Bulacan to 35 minutes.
About 34,000 commuters will benefit from the new transportation system.
