Ongoing construction works on two major railways are expected to be completed by yearend and several more projects in the pipeline are targeted to start operations beyond the term of the Duterte administration, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
During the Laging Handa virtual briefing, Timothy John Batan, DOTr undersecretary for railways, said the full rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) and the civil works for the common station project will be completed this December.
Construction of the common station began four years ago. This features a 13,700-square-meter concourse area composed of three portions that connect the Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1), MRT-3, MRT-7 and the country’s first underground railway system, the Metro Manila Subway project.
Batan said the Metro Manila Subway is expected to start partial operations by first quarter of 2022 with the completion of key facilities such as the rail depot, East Valenzuela station and Philippine Railway Institute.
Before the end of the current administration, San Miguel Corp.’s rail project, MRT-7, is set to begin a trial run with four to eight stations by April 2022, as civil works continue to meet the target completion by next year.
The massive 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Rail Project (NSCR), the biggest project to be undertaken so far under the Build, Build, Build program with a total cost of P777.55 billion, will be completed beyond the Duterte administration’s term.
Batan said construction work for the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark is ongoing with the completion of phase 2 set in 2024, while the PNR Calamba project will start by next year.
