Four-Year Delay Seen for Rail Project
The Department of Transportation now says the full operation of the
North-South Commuter Railway-originally set for 2027-may be delayed by as
much as four years.
However, not all progress is stalled. The segment connecting Manila to
Malolos is still expected to be operational by late 2026 or early 2027.
As of now, more than 50 percent of the entire project is completed. While
the delivery of train sets remains on schedule, the delay has been largely
attributed to civil works issues and challenges in acquiring rights-of-way.
Once complete, the 147-kilometer railway will link Malolos, Bulacan, to
Clark International Airport, and Tutuban, Manila, to Calamba, Laguna. It
will feature 35 stations and three depots across Luzon.
The ₱873-billion peso project is co-financed by the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank.
If the delay holds, commuters south of Manila may be the first to benefit
from the NSCR project-and that's better than no one benefitting at all.