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

MANILA, Philippines — The scheduled full operation of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) has been moved from 2032 to 2033 due to cost-cutting measures of the government, Palace press officer Claire Castro announced on Thursday.

She said the adjustment was approved by the Economy and Development Council (EDC), chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during Wednesday afternoon’s meeting in Malacañang.

“Nagkaroon ng kaunting pagbabago tungkol sa timeline, dahil alam naman natin na nagkaroon ng medyo pagtitipid, mag-iingat  sa pondo ng bayan at nahirapan sa mga procurements and maliban pa diyan ay nagkakaroon ding isyu sa right of way,” Castro said in a briefing.

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READ: North-South railway on track

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(There have been some adjustments to the timeline, given the need for fiscal prudence and careful management of public funds, as well as challenges regarding procurement and right-of-way issues.)

Based on the new timeline, the first partial operation of the approximately 147 kilometers long NSCR will be in December 2027, while the second partial operation from Malolos to Clark will be in the fourth quarter of 2028.

Meanwhile, the third partial operation of the Clark-Solis and Alabang to Calamba will be in the fourth quarter of 2031, and the full operation of the Clark-Calamba will be in the third quarter of 2033.

“So, usually ang mga amendments nito ay iyong mga timelines lang at medyo may pag-a-adjust din nang kaunti sa budget,” the Palace official explained.

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(So, usually, the amendments to this involve only the timelines and some slight adjustments to the budget.)

“So, iyong iba ay naaprubahan na, maliban nga doon sa isyu ng pagpapa-announce or paga-announce kung papaano kapag may ulan or mayroong mga ibang causes para ma-suspend ang classes or mga trabaho,” Castro added.

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(So, some of them have already been approved, except for the issue regarding the announcement—or how announcements are made—when there is rain or other causes for the suspension of classes or work.)

Aside from the NSCR project, the EDC also discussed in their meeting public-private partnership projects such as the Mactan-Cebu International Airport PPP project and the Supporting Innovation in the Philippine Technical and Vocational Education and Training System Project, as well as the Road Network Development Project in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. /mr