The Economy and Development (ED) Council has approved the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Project, which has an estimated contract price of PHP229.32 billion.
The ED Council chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. also tackled the midterm update of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 during the second ED Council meeting on Tuesday, July 15.
The midterm update of the PDP 2023-2028 refines and recalibrates the country’s key policies, strategies, programs, and legislative priorities to ensure alignment with evolving economic conditions and development goals.
The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) spearheads the updating process of the Plan at the midpoint of each administration to assess progress and make necessary adjustments to targets and interventions.
“We have learned a lot of lessons from our past experiences and many of these have been reflected in our recent efforts. We will continue to stay on our course to sustain our momentum for the second half of this administration,” DEPDev Secretary and ED Council Vice Chairperson Arsenio M. Balisacan said.
Following the discussions from the Council meeting, DEPDev will be receiving comments from various agencies to finalize the updated Plan, which will be released to the public by the end of July 2025.
Meanwhile, the ED Council approved the NSCR Operations & Maintenance Project under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement. This decision marks a major milestone in the government’s efforts to modernize public transportation and improve regional connectivity across Luzon.
The NSCR is a 147-kilometer elevated railway line that will ease travel across three regions: Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and CALABARZON. With construction already in advanced stages along the alignment, the project is expected to benefit as many as 800,000 passengers daily in its opening year, eventually serving up to one million commuters. The railway will feature 35 stations, including 31 elevated, three at-grade, and one underground. Depots will be located in Clark, Valenzuela, and Calamba to support maintenance and operations.
The NSCR will offer two types of train services: commuter trains, with 51 trainsets each capable of carrying 2,242 passengers, and Limited Express trains, with seven trainsets accommodating 386 passengers each. These services are designed to significantly improve travel speeds, with trains operating at 120 to 130 kilometers per hour—far surpassing the current average speeds of 20 to 40 kilometers per hour. Travel time from Clark to Calamba will be reduced to approximately three hours via commuter service from around four hours, while the limited express service will cut travel time from Clark to Alabang to around two hours.
Pre-operations for the project will begin in March 2026 until July 2027. The concession period for the partial operations of Phase 1, which stretches from Clark International Airport (CIA) to Valenzuela (13 stations), will commence in December 2027 and continue until September 2028. The total estimated cost of the O&M contract is PHP 229.32 billion.
Meanwhile, the concession period for the partial operations of Phase 2, which extends the services to Nichols with additional segment from Alabang to Calamba (32 stations) will run from October 2028 until December 2031. Full operations are expected to begin in January 2032.
“The North-South Commuter Railway Project is a major step toward faster, greener, and more connected transportation for Filipinos as the system will also be integrated with the Metro Manila Subway. At the same time, it will promote green and commercial development along its corridors,” said DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.
The NSCR is one of the Marcos Administration’s Infrastructure Flagship Projects, aimed at delivering high-impact, long-term solutions to the country’s connectivity and economic development challenges.
