North-South Commuter Railway pre-construction to start by end of 2022 — DOTr exec

The pre-construction activities for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project are set to start by the end of 2022, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy Batan said Monday.

“Mag-uumpisa na po ang ating pre-construction activities nito pong huling part ng 2022 (Our pre-construction activities will start in the latter part of 2022),” Batan said at a public briefing.

“Ito pong February 2023 ay mag-uumpisa na po ang ating full-scale construction works para po dito sa NSCR (This February 2023, the full-scale construction works for NSCR will start),” he added.

Batan said the travel time from Clark, Pampanga to Calamba City, Laguna would take less than two hours with the completion of the project.

It can accommodate 350,000 passengers in its first year of operation, he added.

He said the four contracts recently signed for the project have a total cost of P91 billion. He added this is the biggest project under Asian Development Bank.

The construction under the four contracts will generate 11,000 jobs. In full operation, NSCR will generate 10,000 jobs.

During the contract signing ceremony on October 6, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that all resources for the South Commuter Railway Project would be used and maximized properly.

"Indeed, those efforts will all redound to the fulfillment of a more united and dynamic nation. I join our people in anticipating the eventual progress and completion of this railway project,” the President said.

“As your President, I will make sure that every resource that will be used here will be maximized for the success of this entire endeavor," he added.—AOL, GMA News