Department of Transportation (DOTr) acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez is pushing for faster construction of the Manila-Laguna section of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) to bring its benefits to commuters sooner.
The directive follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to expedite major transportation projects aimed at improving passenger comfort.
Lopez said the demolition of Philippine National Railways (PNR) stations from Sta. Mesa in Manila to Cabuyao, Laguna, would be carried out simultaneously to speed up construction.
“The demolition of PNR stations is simultaneous. There are 10 all the way from Sta. Mesa,” Lopez said during the demolition of the station in Cabuyao.
He said the demolition was necessary to allow for the completion of the viaduct. “We cannot do this without the help of the local government,” he said.
The demolitions included PNR stations in Cabuyao and Sta. Rosa. Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan and Muntinlupa Mayor Rozzano Rufino Biazon also oversaw the demolition of the PNR Alabang Station.
Assistant secretary Eddan Macabulos led the demolition of the PNR Bicutan Station. Other stations being demolished include those in Blumentritt, Sucat, Muntinlupa, Biñan, San Pedro, Sta. Rosa and Mamatid.
Lopez expects all right-of-way issues for the southern part of the NSCR to be resolved by 2026.
“You will see that the work of the DOTr is still ongoing. This is also what the President is saying—that the work of the DOTr and its attached agencies should not stop,” he said.
The P874-billion NSCR Project is a flagship initiative under the “Build Better More” program. The 148-kilometer network, with 37 stations and 464 train cars, is designed to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila.
It is divided into three segments: PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos), PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark), and PNR Calamba (Solis-Calamba).
The railway will run through 26 cities and municipalities in Central Luzon, the National Capital Region and Calabarzon.
The entire NSCR system is expected to be completed by 2032. Its Malolos-Valenzuela segment is set to begin operations in 2027, while the Malolos-Clark segment will be operational in 2028. Once fully operational, the project is expected to serve some 800,000 commuters per day.
