THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) has instructed contractors for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project to implement a catch-up plan to make up for the construction time lost due to the heavy rains and floods over the past several weeks.
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said he met with representatives from the seven contractors and the two general consultants for the massive railway project, and directed them to mitigate the delays caused by recent typhoons.
He said the contractors reported a slowdown in construction for the northern segment—running from Pampanga to Manila—due to floods.
Delays are pegged between 10 days and two weeks.
Bautista said contractors are now “closely coordinating with several local government units where the rail projects are situated.”
He noted that some contractors have even went “beyond the scope of their work” to fast- track the project, including clean-up efforts.
Co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), the 147.26-kilometer NSCR project will stretch from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba City in Laguna, and will cut across 28 cities and municipalities within the regions of Central Luzon, National Capital Region, and Calabarzon.
The entire NSCR will have 35 stations, including three depots, and will run on 51 commuter trains, and seven express train sets.
Once operational in March 2029, the NSCR System will reduce travel time from Clark International Airport to Calamba, Laguna to two hours, and is expected to service 800,000 passengers daily.