The progress of PNR Clark Phase 1 of the North-South Commuter Railway Project continues. Following the recent arrival of the rail line's first rolling stock, the Department of Transportation has shared that the Balagtas Station in Bulacan is now 95% complete.
The agency shared photos of the ongoing construction and it shows that the terminal is really starting to take shape. While there's clearly a lot of work left to be done, you can now see that the main platform and the stairways leading to it have already been built. You can check out more photos below:
The Balagtas Station will be one of the several PNR Clark Phase 1 terminals in Bulacan. Once completed, this part of the NSCR Project will provide seamless travel for commuters from Malolos all the way to Tutuban in Manila, and vice versa. The rail line is expected to cut travel time from 1 hour 30 minutes to just 35 minutes, and the DOTr estimates it will serve 300,000 passengers daily. Meanwhile, transport secretary Art Tugade stated on Facebook that "magiging 30 [minutes] na lang ang travel time mula Tutuban, Manila patungong Malolos, Bulacan."
The massive NSCR project has long been in the pipeline, going as far back as the 1970s. Once finished, it will span around 150 kilometers from New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac all the way to Calamba, Laguna, hence the moniker Clark-Calamba Railway. The route will have 37 stations—some old, some new—across 26 local government units in three different regions.