DOTr inspects progress of railway project connecting Manila to Bulacan

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) shared that the construction of the PNR Clark Phase 1 project now has an overall progress rate of 46.68 percent. The said railway project will connect Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, and it is said to be completed by the second quarter of 2024. 

PNR Clark Phase 1 now has a progress rate of 46.68 percent

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade inspected the railway project’s Balagtas Station and Calumpit construction yard site as part of the agency’s duties in ensuring that the PNR Clark Phase 1 is in line with the target completion date. 

The Balagtas station is one of the 10 stations of the PNR Clark Phase 1, which also includes Tutuban, Solis, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Guiguinto, and Malolos stations. The Calumpit construction yard, on the other hand, is a 14-hectare site that serves as the construction hub for three stations: Balagtas, Guiginto, and Malolos.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade

The PNR Clark Phase 1 is a 38-kilometer railway that will pass through the cities of Manila, Caloocan, and Valenzuela, connecting it to Bulacan. It is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and is said to significantly reduce travel time from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan to only 35 minutes.   

The DOTr said that the PNR Clark Phase 1 will be partially operational by 2023, and will open to full capacity by the second quarter of 2024. Once completed, the PNR Clark Phase 1 is expected to accommodate up to 300,000 passengers daily. Tugade previously said that the training simulator for the train service will arrive in the country between September and October while the trains will arrive in December. 

PNR Clark Phase 1 is expected to be completed in 2024

DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan also shared in our previous report that the PNR Clark Phase 1 will have its train depot at Valenzuela. The trains from the Valenzuela depot will pass through Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, until it reaches Malolos.    

Of note, the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) is part of the North-South Railway Project (NSRP) that was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in 2015. The NSRP has two segments: North Line and South Line.

The NSRP North Line is where the PNR Clark Phase 1 is included but the grand plan also features a 266 km long-haul line from Manila to San Fernando, La Union. On the other hand, the NSRP South Line will consist of commuter railway operations between Tutuban and Calamba as well as a long-haul passenger railway between Tutuban and Legazpi, Albay.

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