The Private Public Partnership (PPP) Center is now preparing the documents for the bidding of the PHP229.32 billion operations and maintenance (O & M) contract of the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), the country’s longest railway connecting Clark all the way to Laguna.
Atty. Manuel Banayad, PPP Center Director IV for project development and monitoring facility service, said the concession period for the O & M is for 25 years.
Banayad said during a presentation at the recent “Transport and Logistics Forum” that the PPP Center is currently preparing the O&M tender documents.
The entire NSCR system is expected to be fully operational by 2032. Last week, the Department of Transportation said operation for the Malolos-Valenzuela segment is going to start in 2027 while the Malolos-Clark by 2028.
Once fully operational, the entire NSCR is expected to benefit 800,000 commuters.
The 147-kilometer NSCR system is divided into segments – Malolos to Tutuban, Clark to Malolos, and Bulacan to Calamba. The total cost of the project is PHP873.62 billion. As of July 2025, project completion stands at approximately 57 percent.
The NSCR will have 35 stations from Pampanga to Laguna. It will connect from the Clark International Airport, going down to Bulacan, Tutuban, EDSA, and to Calamba, where it will meet with the Southern Line of the PNR. It is expected to reduce the four-hour travel time between Clark, Pampanga, and Laguna to less than two hours.
The NSCR is a 147-kilometer railway system connecting the National capital Region with the regional centers of Pampanga, Bulacan, Clark and Laguna.
The project is jointly implemented by the Department of Transportation and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) with financial and technical assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Asian Development Bank.
