The Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday assured the continuation of the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP) in the next administration, after securing a $4.3-billion funding for its construction.
Arthur Tugade, DOTr secretary, continues to push for the big-ticket transport projects in the next administration which include the SCRP, also referred to as the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Calamba project.
Last week, the government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed the $4.3-billion loan agreement for the 55.8-kilometer rail project which will have 18 stations and a 24-hactare depot.
SCRP will stretch from Blumentritt in Manila to Calamba City in Laguna and is the southern section of the massive North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR).
A flagship project of the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program, NSCR is also the ADB’s single-largest official development assistance loan for a project.
Once operational, SCRP will cut travel time between Manila and Calamba from one to two hours by bus to 45 minutes to one hour by train. It will have an estimated daily ridership of 600,000 passengers during full operations.
SCRP has two special features — the Clark Airport Express station in Makati City and a seamless integration with the Metro Manila Subway project.
Tugade said once operational, passengers can conveniently board the airport express train in Makati City and arrive at Clark International Airport within one hour.
Passengers from Calamba will be able to travel to Bonifacio Global City, Ortigas central business district and the Unified Grand Common Station without having to change trains.
The massive NSCR with its three segments — the PNR Clark Phases 1 and 2 and the PNR Calamba — is poised to improve local, national and international connectivity with the direct link to the international airport at Clark, making it a gateway to Asian destinations.
In a related development, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has forged a partnership with the Junior Chamber International (JCI)-Manila for the implementation of a “Wheel Assist” project which aims to improve the commuting experience of persons with disabilities (PWDs) at the Light Rail Transit line 2.
Covered by the LRTA-JCI-Manila partnership is the provision of training to LRTA customer-facing staff on how to handle and engage with PWDs and the installation of braille stickers at the ticket vending machines to aid the visually impaired passengers.
An estimated 900 frontline personnel of LRTA are scheduled to undergo training on non-visible disability, sensitivity and with basic Filipino language in batches starting June 20.
