The Economy and Development (ED) Council, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on Tuesday approved a P229.32 billion public-private partnership (PPP) deal for the operations and maintenance of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
The decision marks a significant step in the government’s push to modernize public transportation and enhance regional connectivity across Luzon, the country’s largest island.
The 147-kilometer (91-mile) elevated railway line aims to ease travel across Central Luzon, Metro Manila and CALABARZON.
The project, currently in advanced stages of construction, is expected to serve 800,000 passengers daily in its opening year, eventually reaching one million commuters. The railway will feature 35 stations, with depots in Clark, Valenzuela, and Calamba.
The NSCR will offer two train services: commuter trains with a capacity of 2,242 passengers per trainset and Limited Express trains accommodating 386 passengers per trainset. Trains are designed to operate at 120 to 130 kilometers per hour, significantly faster than current average speeds of 20 to 40 kph (12-25 mph).
Travel time from Clark to Calamba will be cut to about three hours via commuter service from around four hours, while the limited express service will reduce travel time from Clark to Alabang to roughly two hours.
Pre-operations for the project are slated to begin in March 2026, running until July 2027. Partial operations for Phase 1, from Clark International Airport (CIA) to Valenzuela (13 stations), are set to commence in December 2027 and continue until September 2028. Phase 2, extending services to Nichols with an additional segment from Alabang to Calamba (32 stations), will run from October 2028 until December 2031. Full operations are anticipated to start in January 2032.
“The North-South Commuter Railway Project is a major step toward faster, greener, and more connected transportation for Filipinos as the system will also be integrated with the Metro Manila Subway,” said Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
“At the same time, it will promote green and commercial development along its corridors,” he said.
The NSCR is a flagship infrastructure project of the Marcos Administration, designed to deliver long-term solutions to the country’s connectivity and economic development challenges.
The ED Council also approved the midterm update of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028. The update refines the country’s key policies, strategies, programs, and legislative priorities to align with evolving economic conditions and development goals.
DEPDev spearheads the midterm updating process of the plan to assess progress and make necessary adjustments to targets and interventions.
“We have learned a lot of lessons from our past experiences and many of these have been reflected in our recent efforts,” said Balisacan, who also serves as ED Council vice chairperson, said.
“We will continue to stay on our course to sustain our momentum for the second half of this administration,” he said.
DEPDev will finalize the updated plan after receiving comments from various agencies, with public release expected by the end of July 2025.
