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President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. witnessed the contract signing for the South Commuter Railway Project, the Metro Manila segment of the North-South Commuter Railway Project
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He says the project, worth more than P52 billion, shows his administration’s commitment to realizing the dream of a more efficient and inclusive public transportation system
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The SCRP covers 14.9 kilometers of rail tracks and 6 modern train stations, with some stations to connect with LRT, MRT, and Metro Manila Subway to boost interconnectivity
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The 147-km-long NSCR project aims to cut travel time between Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna to 2 hours from 4 hours currently
Three contracts for the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP) were signed on July 13 in Malacañang by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and two consortiums that will build the project.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing between DOTr and the two contractors – a joint venture of PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk and PT PP (Persero) Tbk of Indonesia and a JV of Leighton Contractors (Asia) Ltd. and First Balfour Inc. of Australia.
The SCRP is the Metro Manila segment of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project.
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“We continue to show our commitment to realizing the dream of a more efficient and inclusive public transportation system that every Filipino deserves,” said the President at the signing ceremony.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista, giving an overview of contract packages S-01, S-03A, and S-03C under the SCRP, said the two consortiums won the bidding for the three packages that make up the SCRP, a P52-billion component of the NSCR project.
With the financial support of Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the governments of Indonesia and Australia, Bautista expressed confidence as the country “inches closer to completing the flagship rail infrastructure”.
He said: “We want to impress on the contractors the importance of meeting schedules so the whole NSCR project can be completed as promised.”
He added the railway system will transform lives and communities, and bring back the culture of mass rail transport in the country with a world-class railway line equipped with modern facilities.
The contractors will build 14.9 kilometers of elevated and ground-level railway tracks and six modern train stations located at Blumentritt in Manila, Buendia in Makati, EDSA, Senate, Bicutan in Taguig, and Sucat in Parañaque, said Bautista.
He added that some stations will be linked to other rail systems to enhance transport interconnectivity. This involves building elevated pedestrian footbridges connecting to existing railway stations, such as at Blumentritt Station with LRT (Light Rail Transit) 1 and EDSA Station with MRT (Metro Rail Transit) 3 Magallanes Station.
Similarly, the Senate Station will be built near the Senate Subway Station, and the Bicutan Station will share the same platform with the Bicutan Subway Station.
Bautista said construction of the contract packages under the SCRP is a “vital” part of the NSCR starting from Clark, Pampanga, to Calamba, Laguna, as it traverses the National Capital Region.
When completed, the NSCR System will halve travel time from Clark to Calamba to just two hours and service 800,000 passengers daily.
