THE Balagtas, Bulacan station of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) is nearing completion, the Transportation department said.
The northern leg of the NSCR will have 10 stations, including Balagtas. The other stations are Tutuban, Solis, Caloocan, West Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Guiguinto, and Malolos.
Taken as a whole, the northern leg of the NSCR project has made 60% construction progress as of May, the Philippine National Railways said.
The Transportation department said facilities at the 180-meter long Balagtas station in Bulacan will include a concourse and platform, elevators, escalators and accessibility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
“They are making progress at the Balagtas station and Malanday depot. We need to complete, our plan is to have partial operations from Clark Airport to Valenzuela by 2027,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista told reporters on the sidelines of a separate media event.
The 147-kilometer NSCR will connect Malolos, Bulacan with Clark International Airport, and Tutuban, Manila with Calamba, Laguna.
The Malanday depot of the NSCR is 72.10% complete. The depot will house the operations center of the railway project.
The P873-billion project is co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank. It will have 35 stations and three depots.
Once fully operational the NSCR is projected to reduce travel time between Clark and Calamba to two hours, against the current four to 4.5 hours. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
