The Department of Transportation said Monday it is accelerating the construction of the first two segments of the massive North-South Commuter Railway.
“We have a lot of catching up to do with so little time left. People will immediately benefit from this project. 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,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
The NSCR’s first leg, the PNR Clark Phase 1, which runs from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, had an overall progress rate of 43 percent and construction phase rate of 11.78 percent as of January 2021. This was made possible with continuous construction works amid COVID-19 quarantine restrictions.
Philippine National Railways general manager Junn Magno said the project would be partially operable by the fourth quarter of 2021. The PNR Clark Phase 1 would reduce 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.
