JV Ejercito: No more delays in NSCR, Metro Manila subway

MANILA, Philippines — Senate finance committee chair Senator JV Ejercito on Thursday said he is ensuring there will be no more delays in the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and the Metro Manila Subway.

Ejercito and Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez inspected the NSCR’s West Valenzuela Station and its Operations Control Center, as well as the Metro Manila Subway depot and its Quirino Station, and the Philippine Railway Institute.

He said he is making sure that funding for these projects is being used properly to ensure there are no disruptions that may hinder operations.

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“We aim to have the NSCR and the Metro Manila Subway Project operational as soon as possible so that our fellow citizens, especially in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Pampanga, can utilize them,” he added.

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The 147-kilometer NSCR is expected to accommodate at least 800,000 passengers daily from its 35 stations in Metro Manila, Central and Southern Luzon.

Meanwhile, the 33-kilometer MMSP may provide service to 519,000 passengers. It is projected to reduce travel time from Valenzuela City to NAIA Terminal 3 to 40 minutes, down from more than an hour.

“The great thing here is that we can show Sen. JV—and his colleagues in the Senate and [House of Representatives]—that his efforts to safeguard the funds for the NSCR and the subway are truly yielding results and making a difference. We have to push harder. We really need projects like these—the railways, the subway, and the NSCR,” Lopez said.

READ: North-South Commuter Railway full operations moved to Q3 of 2033

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The move comes as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the Department of Transportation to speed up the railways’ construction, the agency said in a statement.

However, Malacañang earlier announced that the NSCR’s full operation schedule was moved from 2032 to 2033 due to the government’s cost-cutting.

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Under the new timeline, the first partial operation of the NSCR is scheduled for December 2027, while the second partial operation from Malolos to Clark will be in the fourth quarter of 2028. The third partial operation of the Clark-Solis and Alabang to Calamba will be in the fourth quarter of 2031, while full operation of the Clark-Calamba line is set for the third quarter of 2033. /mcm