Clark to Calamba in Less Than Two Hours? The NSCR Wants to Make It Happen

(SPOT.ph) Southies have been adjusting to the Northies for the longest time, but meeting halfway will be more than possible with the ongoing construction of the North-South Commuter Railway. 

The North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) is a 147-kilometer stretch of urban rail transit connecting New Clark City to Calamba with 36 stations across Central Luzon, the National Capital Region, and CALABARZON. According to the Department of Transportation, it will service over 800,000 daily passengers and will cut travel time from four hours to less than two hours.

With funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency and Asian Development Bank, the NSCR has an expected cost of P873 billion, which makes it the most expensive railway transportation project in Philippine history. It will also replace the current North Main Line once completed.

You might be surprised to know that many variations of the NSCR have actually been in the pipeline since the 1990s, but the project was repeatedly met with financial and feasibility concerns that put it to a pause. If everything goes right this time around, you can expect the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Philippines National Railways to finish the entire project by 2029.

Also read: PNR to Halt Certain Routes for Five Years to Make Way for the NSCR

Everything you need to know about the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR)

The construction is rolling out in three phases: PNR Clark 1, PNR Clark 2, and PNR Calamba. There have been numerous setbacks since the NSCR was reintroduced in 2013, but DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista is keen to push the project to completion.

"We promised the President that we will finish the project as agreed on the timeline that we set,” Bautista said in a DOTr statement on January 24. “I just want to see to it that we work together and finish this project on time.”

PNR Clark 1

PNR Clark 1 will span 38 kilometers from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan. It is the earliest to start construction, having began in February 2019, with its eight-car train set ready for operations. This phase will see the railway's central track line completed.

According to the DOTr, this phase will cut travel time from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes with a daily capacity of 300,000. Partial operations will begin in the latter months of 2023, with a progress rate of 55% as of January. You can ideally expect full operations by mid-2024.

PNR Clark 2

PNR Clark 2 will span 53 kilometers from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga. After 16 months of delay, it finally started construction in September 2022 with a progress rate of 33% as of December 2022.

Part of this phase is what the DOTr calls the country's first airport express train, which will pass through a two-kilometer box tunnel leading to the Clark International Airport as seen in the picture above.

In total, PNR Clark 2 will cut travel time from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes. Full operations are slated for mid-2025.

PNR Calamba 

The PNR Calamba will span 56 kilometers from Solis, Manila to Calamba, Laguna. The Philippine Star reported it was slated to begin construction in 2022. 

This phase has a capacity of up to 550,000 passengers when it becomes fully operational, carrying the greatest number of passengers in the entire NSCR project.

Unlike PNR Clark 1 and 2, PNR Calamba will not be starting from scratch. It will instead reconstruct the current Metro Commuter Line, so partial operations could start as soon as 2025 and be in full operations by 2028.

Also read: LOOK: Here's What Our Train Lines Might Be Like by 2030

The full list of North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) stations

The NSCR is slated to run across 28 cities and municipalities. Check out the full list of stations as of January 2024:

Malolos to Clark

• New Clark City
• Clark International Airport
• Clark
• Angeles
• San Fernando
• Apalit
• Calumpit
• Malolos

Tutuban to Malolos

• Malolos
• Guiguinto
• Balagtas
• Bocaue
• Marilao
• Meycauayan
• West Valenzuela
• Caloocan
• Solis
• Tutuban

Solis to Calamba

• Solis and Tutuban
• Bluementritt
• Espana
• Santa Mesa
• Paco
• Buendia
• EDSA
• Senate-DepED
• FTI
• Bicutan
• Sucat
• Alabang
• Muntinlupa
• San Pedro
• Pacita
• Binan
• Santa Rosa
• Cabuyao
• Banlic
• Calamba

UPDATED (January 29, 2024): This article has been updated to reflect the NSCR's new train stations.