The Philippines and Japan signed a P78-billion loan agreement for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project.
The exchange of notes between the Philippines and Japan for the 109-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project was signed on Nov. 21, 2018, coinciding with the sixth meeting of the Philippines-Japan High Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation.
The signing was witnessed by several Cabinet Secretaries for the Philippines side, and by Dr. Hiroto Izumi, special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Shigeru Kiyama, special adviser to the Cabinet of Japan, for the Japan side.
Approved on Nov. 15, 2018 by the board of the National Economic and Development Authority, the NSCR Extension Project is a part of the 147-km. NSCR System Project. It will extend the system to Clark Freeport in the north and to Calamba, Laguna in the south.
Previously divided into three different projects, the NSCR System Project will seamlessly integrate the 38-km. PNR 1 from Tutuban to Malolos, the 53-km. PNR 2 from Malolos to Clark International Airport and the 56-km. PNR 3 from Solis to Calamba.
The NSCR System, with a total project cost of P777.55 billion, will have 36 stations, 58 8-car trains (inclusive of 7 airport express trains), and a double-track fully elevated railway system that will connect Central Luzon, the National Capital Region and Calabarzon.
It will also have seamless transfer stations with Light Rail Transit Line 1, LRT-2 and Metro Rail Transit-3 as well as with the upcoming Metro Manila Subway.
The system is expected to have 340,000 passengers per day when it partially opens in 2022, increasing to 550,000 passengers per day once it becomes fully operational by 2023.
The NSCR Extension Project will be co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank.