Friday, January 5, 2018

Transportation dept clears site for North-South commuter railway

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) led the ceremony on Friday that marked the start of its pre-construction activities for the mobilization of the PNR North-South Commuter Railway Project Phase 1.

The NSCR is a 38-kilometer railway that will connect Tutuban, Manila to Malolos City, Bulacan, and is expected to accommodate around 340,000 passengers daily once it starts operations in 2021.

The work includes clearing the site, grading of uneven surfaces and the demolition of obstructing structures.

“Manila will be within 35 minutes from Malolos,” Transportation Assistant Secretary for Rails Timothy Batan said.

The second phase of the project, which will connect Malolos to Clark, will be completed in 2022, according to Batan.

The NCSR is part of the mass transit backbone forming the North-South Corridor advocated in the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development Study for Metro Manila and its Surrounding Areas, by the National Economic and Development Authority in 2014.

The project, which costs $3-billion, will be funded through official development assistance from Japan.

“The ceremony will allow people to see actual clearing of the site and witness the project entering into the implementation stage,” Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) Chief Representative Susumo Ito said.  REICELENE JOY IGNACIO

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