THE two segments of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) are expected to cut the travel time of commuters travelling to and from north and south by more than half, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said.
The DoTr reported that the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1 is 45.82 percent complete as of May 17. Upon completion, the DoTr said the 38-kilometer rail line can accommodate 300,000 passengers daily and will shorten travel time from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila to 35 minutes instead of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The PNR Clark Phase 2 from Clark, Pampanga to Malolos, Bualcan will reduce travel time from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes, the DoTr said.
The 54-kilometer rail line will also feature an Airport Express which will take arriving travelers from Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga to Makati in Metro Manila in 55 minutes.
According to the DoTr, the two segments will be linked with the PNR Calamba Phase 3 segment -- a 56-kilometer Tutuban to Calamba line, to form the 148-kilometer mammoth NCSR project.
NSCR is one of the railway projects of the DoTr which promises comfort and convenience to the riding public.
The NSCR is a joint-project of the DoTr and PNR.
Meanwhile, the DoTr announced that the Light Rail Transit 2 (LRT-2) extension from Marikina to Antipolo will open on June 22. The extension project will also cut travel time from Manila to Antipolo from three hours to 40 minutes and boost ridership by 80,000 daily.
