NEWS

By Emmie V. Abadilla

Construction of the P78-billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Extension project starts next month with PNR Clark Phase 1, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced.

The Philippines and Japan the other day (Jan 21, 2019) ceremonially signed the first tranche of the loan agreement for the 109-kilometer NSCR.

The NSCR Extension is part of the 147-km NSCR System Project which the Board of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved last November 15, 2018.

It will seamlessly integrate the 38km PNR Clark Phase 1 from Tutuban to Malolos, the 53km PNR Clark Phase 2 from Malolos to Clark International Airport, and the 56 km PNR Calamba from Solis to Calamba.

The P78 Billion Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will finance the consulting services, rolling stocks, and electro-mechanical portions of the NSCR extension.

The NSCR Project envisions to deliver a leap in connectivity and mobility between Central Luzon in the north, Metro Manila in the center, and CALABARZON in the south.

“The economic benefits of improved mobility for our commuters in this very large urban sprawl will far outweigh the total investment,” according to Finance Secretary Dominguez.

The NSCR Project will showcase top-grade Japanese railway technologies, including energy-efficient and reliable trains, platform screen doors, signalling, rolling stocks, flood resilience, and anti-seismic designs, among others.

“We are working closely with stakeholders in the Philippine transport system to boost the country’s competitiveness, and distribute growth to nearby areas outside Metro Manila,” noted JICA Director General Shigenori Ogawa.

The construction of the north-south rail line will reduce travel time through a safe, reliable, and convenient means of transport.

Through PNR Clark, commuters from Manila will reach Clark International Airport in less than one hour, less than half of the current travel time of two hours by private vehicle via expressway.

PNR Calamba will reduce travel time from three hours to just one hour from Manila to Calamba.

The combined PNR Clark and PNR Calamba systems (a.k.a. the NSCR Project) are expected to benefit up to 350,000 passengers per day when partial operations begin in 2022, and 550,000 passengers daily when full operations commence in 2023.

With enhanced mobility and connectivity, more livelihood and business opportunities are poised to arise, spurring the development of growth centers across Luzon and boosting domestic tourism.

The NSCR is the biggest project to be undertaken so far under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ Program, with a total cost of P628.42 billion.

It is one of the key infrastructure railway projects supported by Japan, in addition to the Metro Manila Subway and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 Rehabilitation projects.

“With this third JICA loan agreement, our Japan-funded railway projects are now fully funded and we are full steam ahead to delivering President Duterte’s promise of a more comfortable life for every Filipino,” Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan pointed out.

The signed loan agreement, which represented the first tranche of Japan’s total commitment for the NSCR project, carries an annual interest rate of 0.1% for non-consulting services and 0.01% for consulting services.

The loan is payable within 40 years, inclusive of a 12-year grace period. Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will co-finance the civil works portion of the NSCR project.

Source: Manila Bulletin