The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday, July 3 broke ground for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway’s (NSCR) civil works segment from Alabang to Calamba.

Top transport officials and local government officials led by Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista joined the groundbreaking ceremony held in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Sec. Bautista said an elevated, double-track and electrified train system will be constructed along the Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) existing route from Alabang to Calamba.

During the ceremony, Sec. Bautista led the symbolic removal of existing PNR tracks to be dismantled when construction work begins for the NSCR segment from Alabang to Calamba.

“Residents and communities who have noticed the railway’s massive construction have pinned their hopes on a comfortable, affordable, safe and efficient commute – a striking contrast to the deteriorating road traffic that has spilled over to north and south of Metro Manila,” Sec. Bautista said.

“Expectations will gradually rise in the coming months and years and we cannot afford to disappoint them,” the Transport chief added.

While the closure of the Alabang-Calamba route would temporarily affect daily commute, DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Cesar B. Chavez assured the commuting public of a “great PNR ride to the future.”

“Your train service will be temporarily suspended to give way to a major construction that will result in a modern train service that will ferry more people, to more places, fast and safe,” Usec. Chavez said.

Construction of the NSCR’s 32-km Alabang-Calamba segment comprises of three contract packages worth P73.24 billion.

• Contract Package S-04 (CP S-04): 8.5 km of railway viaduct structure including two elevated stations at Alabang and Muntinlupa, worth P19,789,619,739.96.
• Contract Package S-05 (CP S-05): 12.8 km of railway viaduct structure including four elevated stations at San Pedro, Pacita, Biñan, and Santa Rosa, worth P27,624,656,000.26.
• Contract Package S-06 (CP S-06): 10.247 km of railway viaduct structure including three elevated stations at Cabuyao, Banlic, and Calamba, worth P25,831,845,720.18.

CP S-04 and CP S-05 are expected to be completed by April 2028, while CP S-06 is expected to be completed by October 2027, according to Sec. Bautista.

The contract packages were awarded to South Korean contractor HDEC-Dongah Joint Venture.

The project is co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Breakdown of funding is as follows:

• ADB: P329.55 billion
• JICA: P369.27 billion
• PH Gov't: P174.78 billion
• Total: P873.6 billion

A flagship project under the Build Better More Program, the construction of the 147-km NSCR system aims to seamlessly connect Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna by linking Metro Manila to its neighboring provinces.

Once completed and fully operational, Sec. Bautista expects the NSCR project to provide quality commuter-train service, contribute to the economic progress in the Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces, and generate more jobs.

Alabang-Biñan service to operate until July 16.

PNR General Manager Jeremy S. Regino announced that the service between Alabang to Biñan stations will continue to operate only until July 16.

The PNR has already closed all stations between Santa Rosa to Calamba in Laguna for the NSCR civil works.

Details of the Alabang to Biñan service are as follows:

Alabang-Biñan
(Last trip: July 15, Saturday)
Departure: 9:32 PM
Arrival: 10:04 PM
Fare: ₱15

Biñan-Alabang
(Last trip: July 16, Sunday)
Departure: 5:24 AM
Arrival: 5:56 AM
Fare: ₱15

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