Philippines’ Transport Secretary, Arthur Tugade, together with Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, officially inaugurated on February 15, the construction of Tutuban – Malolos rail section, known as PNR Clark Phase 1, which is part of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 project envisages the construction of a 37.6 km line served by ten stations and a 14-hectare depot in Valenzuela City. The project is scheduled to be completed by the last quarter of 2021.
Once completed, this project will reduce travel time between Manila and Bulacan from one hour and 45 minutes to just 35 minutes, serving approximately over 300,000 passengers daily. The line will be operated by 13 eight-car trains which will run at 120 km/h.
The Tutuban – Malolos line will be seamlessly connected with the PNR Clark Phase 2, from Malolos to Clark and PNR Calamba line, creating an integrated commuter railway system that will serve commuters traveling to, from, and within National Capital Region, Region III, and Region IV-A (Calabarzon region).
After signing the contract with Sumitomo Mitsui Construction in January 2019, advance works already began to make way for full construction. 91% of the PNR Clark Phase 1 alignment has already been cleared.
In December 2017, country’s Department of Transport awarded the consulting contract to Japanese consortium led by Oriental Consultants Global for the Tutuban – Malolos project.
The total value of the first phase of Malolos-Clark rail project is USD 3.2 billion, of which JICA provided USD 1 billion and ADB will cover with a total loan of USD 2 billion. The government will cover the value of the project by providing USD 200 million. The whole project includes 51-km railway line connecting Metro Manila and the regional center in Clark and the Clark International Airport, located in the Central Luzon Region.
The North-South Commuter Railway project will see a 147-km rail system served by 36 stations from Clark International Airport to Calamba, Laguna. The total estimated value is USD 14.9 billion (PHP777.55 billion).
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