The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Thursday it has successfully cleared right-of-way (ROW) issues in six critical locations along the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System.
Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said that the six cleared properties are located in Clark International Airport, SM Clark, Barangay Pulungbulo in Angeles City, Barangay Sto. Niño in San Fernando, Barangay San Vicente in Apalit, and Barangay Iba Este in Calumpit.
‘We extend our gratitude to the local government units in these critical areas where we will construct the NSCR, particularly those in Angeles City, Mabalacat City, City of San Fernando, Apalit, Minalin, Sto. Tomas, Calumpit, Malolos, and the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan, for their invaluable support and cooperation in making this project possible,’ Lopez said.
He also expressed confidence that all ROW requirements for the NSCR’s northern section from Malolos to Clark will be completed by mid-2026. The agency also targets to complete ROW acquisition for nine stations on the southern section by December 2025. These include stations in Biñan, Cabuyao, Sta. Rosa, EDSA, Sucat, Muntinlupa, FTI, Blumentritt, and Sta. Mesa.
Lopez added that the agency is also fast-tracking utility relocation for the NSCR’s southern segment by December 2025, alongside the Banlic Depot, with ROW acquisition already reaching 98 percent completion.
‘Minamadali na talaga natin ang right of way at konstruksyon ng ating railway ayon sa direktiba ng Pangulong Marcos,’ he said.
Stretching roughly 147 km from Clark through Metro Manila to Calamba, the NSCR is the government’s flagship commuter rail and is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) under a parallel collaboration arrangement.
Currently, the project has a completion rate of 32.4 percent. Full operations are expected for 2032.