The Philippines needs a truly modern railway network that will cut across Laguna, Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac to decongest traffic.
The North–South Commuter Railway, or NSCR, and also known as the Clark–Calamba Railway, is one major infrastructure project that aims to ease traffic and make traveling convenient to commuters. The Department of Transportation should pursue the railway project at all costs, after the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency both endorsed its economic viability.
The 147-kilometer elevated Clark-Calamba railway project, which will run from Calamba to New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac and cost a total of P778 billion, is already in several stages of implementation.
Big local companies lately submitted bids for the three contract packages under the Malolos-Clark phase. It will feature the country’s first airport express railway service. Once completed, it will allow commuters to reach the Clark International Airport from Buendia in Makati in just 55 minutes, compared to two hours by private vehicle via expressway.
The second phase of the railway system alone is expected to accommodate 340,000 passengers in its opening year in 2022.The rail network project is key to the further economic development of the industrial provinces of southern and northern Luzon. Aside from easing traffic, the rail will speed up the flow of goods and produce from these provinces, after being linked to other future railway networks.
Another component of the government railway system is the P175-billion Philippine National Railways South Railways project, a 639-kilometer line from Manila to Matnog, Sorsogon. Connecting the southernmost part of Luzon to the central provinces will boost productivity and commerce in the main island.
The government should give top priority to rail projects across the Philippines and within Metro Manila and other urban centers. All right-of-way problems should be settled soon to assure their speedy construction. They should also be spared from unnecessary delays and the petty issues normally raised by local government units.