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The target to complete the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project’s Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark) has been moved to June 2025 due to delays
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POSCO Engineering & Construction cited the delayed turnover of the land as cause for the extension in completion of the project
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As of December 31, 2022, more than 33% of the planned construction has been completed
The Malolos-Clark railway project completion has been pushed back to June 2025, owing to delays in land turnover to the project contractor.
The railway represents the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Clark Phase 2 project. The initial completion date was October 2024.
POSCO Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd identified the delayed turnover of the land as cause for extension in project completion, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in a statement.
Before the 3.hectare site was turned over by government to POSCO, several fruit-bearing trees were cut down, causing the delay, DOTr said.
POSCO will construct 48 buildings and facilities at the depot site. As of December 31, 2022, more than 33% of the planned construction has been completed.
The Clark depot has 33 stabling tracks to serve as parking area for the trains and 12 other tracks to access the maintenance facilities.
“This is a very important part of the NSCR, considering the operations control center of the project will be located here. The operations control center is the heart of the operations,” Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement. Bautista conducted a site inspection of the Clark Railway Depot on January 23.
“It is important that we complete this as planned and on time. I know that there are issues that need to be resolved. The DOTr will work closely with [the contractor], so we can fix problems and address issues [about the project],” he added.
The transport chief vowed to complete the project within the timeframe provided to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“We promised the President that we will finish the project as agreed on the timeline that we set. I just want to see to it that we work together and finish this project on time,” he said.
Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Philippine National Railways Clark Phase 2 is the second leg of the NSCR Project, which aims to link cities and municipalities in Central Luzon with Metro Manila, and help spur economic activity in nearby provinces.
POSCO Engineering and Construction in August 2020 was awarded Contract Package N-05, which covers the civil engineering and building works for the Clark Railway Depot. The depot covers an overall area of approximately 33 hectares. The contract covers the construction of the Operations Control Center, stabling yard, workshops, training center and other ancillary buildings in Mabalacat, Pampanga.
The other contact package, N-04, was awarded to Acciona Construction Philippines and EEI Corporation and covers the civil engineering and building works for approximately 6.3 kilometer of the main line and 1.6 km of the depot’s access line with an underground station serving Clark International Airport (CRK).
Once completed, the 53km rail line is expected to cut travel time between Malolos, Bulacan and Clark, Pampanga from 1.5 hours to just 30 minutes. It will also feature the country’s first-ever Airport Railway Express Service, which will connect Makati to the CRK in just 55 minutes.
NSCR is funded through an official development assistance loan support from Japan International Cooperation Agency and ADB.
The NSCR Clark Phase 1 broke ground in February 2019. It is a 38km railway that will connect Tutuban, Manila and Malolos, Bulacan.
In October 2022, DOTr awarded the first four civil works contract packages for the Manila-Calamba section.
The entire NSCR will have 35 stations, including three depots, and will run on 51 commuter train, and seven express train sets.
Once operational, the NSCR System will reduce travel time from CRK to Calamba to two hours, and is expected to service 800,000 passengers daily.
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