The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday the Balagtas station of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project is nearing completion at 95 percent.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the near completion of the Balagtas Station is in preparation for the NSCR’s partial operation between Clark International Airport and West Valenzuela stations by December 2027.
The Balagtas station is a part of the project’s Northern leg, the Malolos-Tutuban segment which includes nine other stations in Tutuban, Solis, Caloocan, West Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto and Malolos.
Bautista said the materials used in the construction of the Balagtas Station are state-of-the-art and environment-friendly.
“The designs are very different from other stations,” Bautista said during his inspection of the Balagtas Station and Malanday Depot in Valenzuela Thursday.
“This is really a part of what we call the railway renaissance in the Philippines,” Bautista said.
The NSCR Balagtas Station roof is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) roofing membrane known for its resistance to high temperature, chemicals, corrosion and ease of maintenance.
The PTFE roofing membrane at the NSCR Balagtas Station has unparalleled lightness and coverage as well as excellent flexibility, light transmission property and ability to gently wrap and protect products, the DOTr said.
A 180-meter-long structure, the NSCR Balagtas Station’s facilities include a concourse and platform, two elevators, six escalators and other features that are gender-inclusive, PWD-friendly and accessible to senior citizens.
The 14-hectare NSCR Malanday Depot, meanwhile, achieved 72.10-percent completion rate as of end-June 2024. The depot features four major buildings, including an operation control center (OCC).
The 147-kilometer, 35-station elevated NSCR system will run from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna, reducing end-to-end travel time from the current four hours to less than two hours via train.
The rail system will service 800,000 passengers in its first year of operations, once completed.
