Marcos OKs privatization of North-South Commuter Railway ops

GMA Network

16-07-2025

The government's plan to privatize the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the big-ticket North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, which is now under construction, has been approved by the President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.
The President-chaired Economic Development Council (formerly the National Economic and Development Authority Board) has approved, during its meeting on July 15, the O&M of NSCR under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
In February 2023, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced it is intending to hand over the O&M of NSCR along with the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) to the private sector through competitive bidding.
The total estimated cost of the O&M contract is P229.32 billion, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).
The entire NSCR is a 147.26-kilometer elevated railway line aimed at easing travel across three regions in Luzon, namely Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and CALABARZON.
The project is already in advanced stages of construction with pre-operations expected to begin in March 2026 until July 2027.
The DEPDev said the concession period for partial operations of NSCR Phase 1 —from Clark International Airport (CIA) to Valenzuela involving 13 stations— is targeted to commence in December 2027 until September 2028.
Meanwhile, the concession period for the partial operations of Phase 2 —from Nichols with additional segments from Alabang to Calamba involving 32 stations— will run from October 2028 until December 2031.
Full operations are expected to begin in January 2032, it said.
1M commuters
The railway project is expected to benefit as many as 800,000 passengers daily in its opening year, eventually serving up to one million commuters, the Economic Planning Department said.
NSCR will feature 35 stations, including 31 elevated, three at-grade, and one underground.
Its depots will be located in Clark, Valenzuela, and Calamba to support maintenance and operations.
The railway project is planned to offer two types of train services —commuter trains, with 51 train-sets each capable of carrying 2,242 passengers and 'Limited Express' trains with seven train-sets accommodating 386 passengers each.
The two train services are planned to have travel speeds of 120 to 130 kilometers per hour, reducing travel time from Clark to Calamba to around three hours via commuter service from four hours, while the limited express service will cut travel time from Clark to Alabang to around two hours.
'The North-South Commuter Railway Project is a major step toward faster, greener, and more connected transportation for Filipinos as the system will also be integrated with the Metro Manila Subway. At the same time, it will promote green and commercial development along its corridors,' said DEPDev Secretary and ED Council vice chairperson Arsenio Balisacan.
The ED Council also tackled the midterm update of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
The midterm update of the PDP 2023-2028 refines and recalibrates the country's key policies, strategies, programs, and legislative priorities to ensure alignment with evolving economic conditions and development goals, according to the DEPDev.
The DEPDev said it spearheads the updating process of the Plan at the midpoint of each administration to assess progress and make necessary adjustments to targets and interventions.
'We have learned a lot of lessons from our past experiences and many of these have been reflected in our recent efforts. We will continue to stay on our course to sustain our momentum for the second half of this administration,' said Balisacan.
Following the discussions from the Council meeting, DEPDev will be receiving comments from various agencies to finalize the updated Plan, which will be released to the public by the end of July 2025. —VAL, GMA Integrated News