NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
PNR to stop Malabon to Calamba Trips
Photo credit: PNR
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will temporarily halt train operations from Gov. Pascual in Malabon to Calamba to expedite the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), according to Undersecretary for Railways Cesar B. Chavez in a House Committee hearing on Thursday, February 16.
Chavez explained that stopping train operations on the route where NSCR tracks will be laid and posts erected will expedite construction by eight months. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) estimates that the government will save around PHP15.18 billion with the faster completion of the NSCR.
Meanwhile, the Alabang-Calamba route is also expected to be halted by the end of May.
Contracts for NSCR extension packages S-04, S-05, S-06, and S-07 from Tutuban to Calamba were signed on October 6, 2022.
These will cover PNR stations from Alabang, Muntinlupa to Calamba City, Laguna, including the train depot in Brgy. Banlic, Calamba City. The contract for Manila-Alabang is expected to be awarded in March, leading to the suspension of PNR operations on the Tutuban-Alabang route in October of this year.
An earlier completion of the NSCR project means faster and more efficient service for commuters on the routes it will cover.
Chavez also mentioned that the DOTr and PNR are coordinating with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to provide alternative transportation to the approximately 30,000 affected passengers of the halted PNR train operations.
"The DOTr and PNR will make a formal announcement two months before the official suspension of train operations," Chavez said. The earliest expected suspension of PNR operations on the Gov. Pascual, Malabon-Calamba route is in May.
The NSCR is one of the newest train systems in the whole of East Asia. It will have routes from Tutuban to Clark International Airport and Tutuban to Calamba, which are expected to be completed by 2026.
Chavez explained that stopping train operations on the route where NSCR tracks will be laid and posts erected will expedite construction by eight months. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) estimates that the government will save around PHP15.18 billion with the faster completion of the NSCR.
Meanwhile, the Alabang-Calamba route is also expected to be halted by the end of May.
Contracts for NSCR extension packages S-04, S-05, S-06, and S-07 from Tutuban to Calamba were signed on October 6, 2022.
These will cover PNR stations from Alabang, Muntinlupa to Calamba City, Laguna, including the train depot in Brgy. Banlic, Calamba City. The contract for Manila-Alabang is expected to be awarded in March, leading to the suspension of PNR operations on the Tutuban-Alabang route in October of this year.
An earlier completion of the NSCR project means faster and more efficient service for commuters on the routes it will cover.
Chavez also mentioned that the DOTr and PNR are coordinating with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to provide alternative transportation to the approximately 30,000 affected passengers of the halted PNR train operations.
"The DOTr and PNR will make a formal announcement two months before the official suspension of train operations," Chavez said. The earliest expected suspension of PNR operations on the Gov. Pascual, Malabon-Calamba route is in May.
The NSCR is one of the newest train systems in the whole of East Asia. It will have routes from Tutuban to Clark International Airport and Tutuban to Calamba, which are expected to be completed by 2026.
Feb 18, 2023
