The Asian Development Bank has approved a up to USD 2.75 billion loan for construction of PNR Clark Phase 2, connecting Malolos, a suburb north of Manila, to Clark economic zone and Clark International Airport in Central Luzon.
The project includes the construction of two a 51.2 km double track elevated line connecting Malolos City in Bulacan province to the thriving Clark regional growth center and a 1.9-km extension connecting the NSCR to the Blumentritt Station in Manila, where an elevated interchange station for Light Rail Transit Line 1 will be built. The line will allow trains to run at speeds of 160 km/h.
The rail stations will include multimodal facilities, allowing commuters to easily transfer from public buses and jeepneys to the trains. The underground station at the Clark International Airport will provide a short connection to upcoming and future airport terminals.
The 53-km line is part of country’s North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, a 163-km suburban railway network stretching from New Clark City in Tarlac province in the north to Calamba in Laguna province in the south of Manila. The NSCR project is expected to be completed by 2025.
“ADB’s partnership with the Philippines has always been strong, and it has become stronger in the last three years. The Malolos–Clark railway is ADB’s single largest infrastructure project financing ever, and from a development perspective, we are pleased this investment is taking place in ADB’s host country,” ADB President Takehiko Nakao said.
ADB will be financing civil works of the Malolos–Clark Railway Project, including the stations, bridges, and viaducts for the elevated railway alignment, and a tunnel leading to the underground station at Clark International Airport. It will also assist the government in using global standards for procurement and environmental and resettlement safeguards.
The project is co-financed with up to USD 2 billion by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which will finance the rolling stock and the railway systems.
Recently, Philippines’ Department of Transport launched the civil construction works for six stations forming the PNR Clark Phase 1. It envisages the construction of a 37.6-km line from Tutuban to Bulacan.
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