The Department of Transportation (DOTr) aims to increase the number of operational rail stations in all of the country’s train systems by 26, to have 87 stations by the end of the Duterte administration.
Timothy John Batan, DOTr undersecretary for railways, said the agency started in 2016 with 61 operational stations. The number of those contracted and ongoing construction would have increased from zero to 92 stations.
“The 179 railway stations operational, contracted, and ongoing construction by 2022 is a critical component of the DOTr’s railway network expansion program,” Batan said in his speech at the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Balagtas station inspection yesterday.
DOTr inspected the PNR Clark Phase 1 stations in Bocaue and Balagtas in Bulacan. This project is one of the three segments of the massive PNR North-South Commuter Railway project.
“In less than one year’s time, we will see nine more stations like this taking shape within the 38 kilometers of PNR Clark 1 from Tutuban to Malolos. Construction is ongoing for all these stations,” Batan said.
DOTr said the Balagtas station has an overall progress rate of 23.97 percent at present, while the Bocaue station is at 23.18 percent.
With 10 stations, PNR Clark Phase 1 will traverse Manila, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto and Malolos.
Once completed, it is expected to serve 300,000 passengers every day and reduce travel time between Malolos and Tutuban from one hour and 30 minutes to only 35 minutes.
“(By 2022) we will see 19 more stations start construction within the 56 kilometers of PNR Calamba from Manila to Calamba, Laguna. Bidding for all nine contracts of this southern segment is almost complete,” Batan said.
Meanwhile, the DOTr is set to complete the full rehabilitation of Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) and the civil works of the Common Station project this month.
Several rail projects will start partial operations by next year, including the country’s first underground railway system — Metro Manila Subway project — by the first quarter, while the MRT-7 is set to start trial run in its four to eight stations by April 2022.
Other major railway projects in the pipeline include the Light Rail Transit-1 extension to Cavite project which is targeted to start operation by mid-2024, Mindanao Railway project, PNR Bicol and the Subic Railway project.
