Saturday, March 19, 2022
DOTr signs contract for 304 more North-South Commuter Railway trains
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Saturday it has already signed the contract for the purchase of 304 more trains for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
In a statement, the DOTr said the NSCR project “made a huge headway” with the unveiling of the eight-car Electric Multiple Unit for the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) and the contract signing for additional 304 trains.
According to the transportation agency, the eight-car train set measures 160 meters in length and has an operational speed of 120kph, enabling it to serve over 2,228 passengers per train set.
“To the Philippines and Filipino people, now you see the project—pray that it is completed, be happy that it has started, and I tell you, President Duterte and his ‘Build, Build, Build’ team will go all the way to make sure that the projects are completed for the comfort and convenience of the Filipino people,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
“With projects approved, financing secured, contracts awarded, and construction and deliveries already ongoing, we are not only on track, but we are also full steam ahead to realizing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s promise of ushering in the Philippines’ Golden Age of Infrastructure and delivering a more comfortable life for every Filipino,” Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, meanwhile, added.
The NSCR has three segments, according to DOTr:
– PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban – Malolos) – a 38-kilometer rail line that will connect Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, and will reduce travel time from one hour and 30 minutes to just 30 minutes.
– PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark) – a 53-kilometer rail line that will reduce travel time from Malolos City, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga from two hours to just 30 to 35 minutes. It will also feature the first-ever Airport Railway Express Service that will connect Makati City to Clark International Airport from the current two to three hours travel time to just 55 minutes.
– PNR Calamba (Solis-Calamba) – a 56-kilometer train line and a southern line that will connect Metro Manila (Solis Street, Tondo) and Calamba, Laguna, and will speed up travel time from the current four hours to just one hour.
The NSCR project is a 147-km rail transport route, comprising 37 stations and 464 train cars. The DOTr said it stretches across 28 cities and municipalities within the regions of Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon, and is expected to serve over a million passengers a day once fully operational.
DOTr set to sign deals to purchase 304 train cars for North-South Commuter Railway
The Department of Transportation said Friday it is set to sign contracts on the acquisition of an additional 304 train cars for the North-South Commuter Railway System Project.
The agency on Friday unveiled the first eight of the 104 train cars, which the government earlier procured for the NSCR project.
“We will also be signing the contract for additional train cars also for the NSCR System,” Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said.
He said the DOTr and the Philippine National Railways would initially sign another contract for 56 airport express train cars for the project.
The NSCR’s train sets are designed to operate at up to 120 kilometers per hour, shortening the travel time from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna from more than four hours to less than two hours.
“The ongoing expansion of the Philippines railway network, happening at record scale and at record speed, would not be possible without the unwavering support of our partners from the international development community and the global railway industry,” Batan said.
“We recognize and we thank our partners from the government of Japan and from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for their ‘fast and sure support’ and the 786 billion Japanese yen or P362 billion of official development assistance being extended for the NSCR project,” he said.
After decades of attempts starting in 1994, the 38-kilometer PNR Clark 1 and 53-kilometer PNR Clark 2 segments of the 147-kilometer NSCR System are now being constructed at full blast.
The NSCR System, with 35 stations spanning 28 local government units from Mabalacat, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna is expected to serve over a million passengers a day upon completion.
The project is expected to create around 50,000 direct jobs and 110,000 indirect jobs during the construction stage and an additional 8,000 jobs once the railway line starts full operations.