DOTr may halt PNR ops for 5 years for North-South Commuter Railway construction

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is looking at temporarily stopping the operations of the Philippine National Railway (PNR) to give way to the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project.

According to Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez, the stoppage of PNR operations will be needed as some stations are on the way of the envisioned NSCR.

“We need to stop the operations of PNR because our objective is to construct the [North-]South Commuter Railway Project in sustainable focus, on speed based on the timeline, and at a minimum cost,” he said in a House hearing on Thursday.

Chavez said the rail system currently caters to some 20,000 to 25,000 passengers daily, with the PNR servicing Tutuban in Manila until Calamba in Laguna.

He said ridership has declined since the pandemic, with the average hitting up to 50,000 daily before the lockdowns. Only some 2,000 are said to ride the Alabang to Calamba trips.

Meanwhile, the NSCR is envisioned to have 18 elevated at-grade stations, cutting travel time from Manila to Calamba by over half from the current 2.5 hours by road. It will also be connected to the Metro Manila Subway.

Chavez said the DOTr is now looking at the alternatives for the regular passengers of the PNR who will be affected by the stoppage of the rail line, as he said it may take up to five years before a substantial completion of the NSCR is seen. “Mga limang taon, pero pagkatapos ng may substantial completion, mas maayos naman na at maginhawa ang sasakyan nila,” he told lawmakers.

(About five years, but after a substantial completion, they will have a better and more comfortable rail system.)

Moving forward, Chavez said passengers will be advised two months before the intended stoppage.

“Pinaghahandaan na rin ang posible nilang sasakyan papunta sa mga direksyon sa nakaraan,” he said.

(We are also preparing for the possible alternatives going to the previous directions.)

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) last October awarded the first four building and civil works contract packages for the project last year.

These include the 8.5 kilometers including elevated stations at Alabang and Muntinlupa; 12.8 kilometers including elevated stations at San Pedro, Pacita Biñan, and Santa Rosa; and 10.2 kilometers including elevated stations at Cabuyao, Banlic, and Calamba to the joint venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. and Dong-Ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd.

It also awarded the building and civil engineering works contracts for the 22-hectare Calamba Depot to the joint venture of Lotte Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd., Gulermak Agir Sanayi Insaat ve Taahhut and EEI Corporation.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) last June approved a $4.3-billion loan financing program for the southern portion of the project.

Originally, the NSCR was envisioned to be the biggest railway project of the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

It was planned to have a northern segment connecting Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila, and the southern portion connecting Tutuban to as far south as Matnog, Sorsogon. — BM, GMA Integrated News