- The South Commuter Railway will reduce travel time between Manila and Calamba City south of the capital by about half to just 45 minutes to 1 hour and will connect to existing light railways in the capital and the future Metro Manila Subway.
- The 54.6-kilometer railway will provide safe access for all, including the elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities, and is designed to be disaster-resilient and able to withstand typhoons and earthquakes.
- The South Commuter Railway Project, ADB’s biggest infrastructure investment to date in the entire Asia-Pacific region, will spur economic growth in southern Luzon and create thousands of jobs during construction and upon operation.
The South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP), part of the North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR), will offer commuters fast public transport, help reduce road traffic congestion, and contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions in line with the country’s climate agenda.
The project is central to the government’s vision of bringing back the culture of rail transport in the country. It represents ADB’s biggest infrastructure investment to date in the entire Asia and the Pacific region.
The 54.6-kilometer railway will provide safe access for all, including the elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities. All infrastructure will be designed to be disaster-resilient and able to withstand typhoons and earthquakes.
It will have 18 elevated and at-grade stations with connections to existing light railways in the capital and the future Metro Manila Subway. It will spur economic growth in southern Luzon and create thousands of jobs during construction and upon operation.
Once fully operational, the entire North-South Commuter Railway will reduce travel time between Clark International Airport and Calamba from more than 4 hours to less than 2 hours.
Transcript
The North-South Commuter Railway System is a flagship project of the government under the “Build Build Build” Program. It is the largest railway project in the Philippines to date.
The NSCR is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The project is central to the government’s vision of bringing back the culture of rail transport in the country.
Once fully operational, the entire North-South Commuter Railway line will reduce travel time between Clark International Airport and Calamba from more than 4 hours to less than 2 hours.
The 163-kilometer railway system will have 35 stations and will serve 27 cities and municipalities in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces.
The entire North-South Commuter Railway is being constructed in three segments: Malolos-Clark, Tutuban-Malolos, and Solis-Calamba.
Construction ofthe Tutuban-Malolos segment started in February 2019 and is now more than halfway through completion as of June 2022.
Construction of the Malolos-Clark segment began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the relentless efforts of the Department of Transportation and Philippine National Railways,construction of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project is in full swing.
The segment includes the country’s first airport railway express service to the Clark International Airport.
The railway’s southern segment–the South Commuter Railway Project–will connect Metro Manila to Calamba, and will have 18 elevated and at-grade stations.
The signing of the South Commuter Railway Project loan agreement between ADB and the Government of the Philippines in June 2022 marks another milestone in thegovernment’s efforts to provide comfort and convenience to Filipino commuters within Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
The entire North South Commuter Railway will create more than 59,000 jobs during construction and over 4,600 jobs during actual operation.It will spur growth multiplier effects in the economy through supplier contracts, and create new job opportunities through better connectivity in the region.
The project will contribute to the Philippines Climate Change action agenda.
It is estimated that by 2040, more than 600,000 passengers will be using the railway daily, resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
The Government of the Philippines remains steadfast in making the dream of a more comfortable life for every Filipino a reality.
