Following a direct directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to accelerate big-ticket infrastructure developments, Transportation Secretary Jaime “Banoy” Lopez announced that the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Angeles Station is being fast-tracked to provide immediate relief and efficiency to Filipino commuters.
During a site inspection, Secretary Lopez revealed that right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for the entire NSCR alignment within Angeles City has reached 90%. To clear the remaining bottlenecks, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is collaborating closely with the Angeles City local government unit (LGU).
“Our right-of-way is at 90%, showing clear and visible progress on the ground,” Secretary Lopez stated. “We have initiated talks with our contractor, Italian-Thai Development (Italthai), to reinforce our agreement: this segment must be fully operational by 2028.”
Joining the transport chief during the inspection were key infrastructure officials, including Pampanga 1st District Representative Carmelo Lazatin, DOTr Senior Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, Assistant Secretary for ROW Acquisition IC Calaguas, and Assistant Secretary for Railways Eduardo Danilo Macabulos.
Representative Lazatin emphasized the massive transformative impact the railway system will bring to the province, noting that it will catalyze business growth, boost local tourism, and attract high-value investments.
“This is a massive boost for our city and the entire province, especially with its direct connection to the Clark International Airport,” Rep. Lazatin said. “It will drastically cut down travel time to Manila and alleviate the heavy traffic congestion that our citizens endure daily.”
The 147-kilometer NSCR System is designed to seamlessly connect Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and CALABARZON. The DOTr has outlined the following operational milestones:
| Project Segment | Target Completion Date |
| Valenzuela City to Malolos, Bulacan | December 2027 (Partial Operations) |
| Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga (inc. Angeles) | October 2028 (Full Operations) |
Once completely operational, the NSCR will dramatically cut the current travel time between Clark, Pampanga, and Calamba, Laguna from a grueling four-to-five-hour drive down to just two hours.
