More than 300,000 passengers will be accommodated in the Philippine National Railway (PNR) Clark Phase 1 once it became operational.
PNR Clark Phase 1 is a 38-kilometer mass railway transportation that will connect Tutuban in Manila to Malolos in nearby Bulacan province.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 is part of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ flagship program. Representatives from the Department of Transportation (DoTr) recently inspected the said project.
According to Fidel Cruz, DoTr Asst. Secretary for Railways, there were already six segments casted at the Calumpit Main Site Yard, the 14-hectare property production site for the precast span of the project’s Contract Package 2.
“About 12 to 15 pieces of precast segments will cover the railway from Pier to Pier Viaduct,” the DoTr Asst. Secretary for Railways said. Meanwhile, the DoTr further said once the railway project will run to the public, it will lessen the travel time between Manila and Bulacan from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes.
On the other hand, the PNR Clark Phase 2, which is a 53-kilometer segment from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark Freeport will be scheduled to be completed by 2022. This is also a part of the NSCR. The said project once completed will reduce travel time between Malolos, Bulacan to Clark International Airport to half hour.
For his part, DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade assured the railway system project will be realized thru a partnership with the Japan Government. He said the agency is aiming to extend the country’s 77 kilometers of existing railways to 1,900 kilometers.