PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said major infrastructure projects in the country, including the first phase of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) from Malolos in Bulacan to Tutuban in Manila, will be completed to help ease travel and boost trade.
During the campaign of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate in Malolos City on Wednesday night, Marcos highlighted the priority projects of his administration.
Marcos said one such major item is the ongoing 38-kilometer railway North-South Commuter Railway North 1 or Phase 1 from Bulacan to Manila.
“At present, it is 72 percent complete. And you can expect it to be finished in about four years,” he said in Filipino. “Once it is finished, traveling to your jobs and to Manila would be more convenient.”
He added that on top of this is the ongoing expansion of the San Ildefonso–San Miguel Bypass Road, also in Bulacan, which is now 77.23 percent finished and is expected to be completed by December this year.
“Through the help of these reforms, travel time would be reduced and you could devote more time to yourselves and your families,” Marcos said.
The government said about 200,000 daily commuters are expected to benefit from the first phase of the North-South Commuter Railway once it is completed and operational.
The second phase of the project would run from Malolos to the Clark Economic Zone and Clark International Airport in Pampanga.
The north portion of NSCR would be connected to the railway from Manila to Calamba in Laguna in the south.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon last month said in an interview that the NSCR project, particularly the northern portion going to Clark, may be set back by up to four years due to delays in “civil works and construction.”
Dizon said the segment of the project going to Clark was about 50 percent complete “but we are confident that we can still run the Manila to Malolos by the end of 2026, or maybe early 2027.”
He added that 2027 was the initial target completion date for the entire NSCR project that spans 147 kilometers.
