CITY OF SAN FERNANDO --- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Wednesday that the viaduct of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Phase 1 from Malolos City to Bocaue town in Bulacan province has been completed.
DOTr Assistant Secretary for Railways Jorjette Aquino said this is in response to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to fast-track big ticket infrastructure projects.
The 14-kilometer NSCR Phase 1 from Malolos City to Bocaue section traverses newly-constructed railway turnouts in front of the main campus of Bulacan State University in Malolos as well as the municipalities of Guiguinto, Balagtas, and Bocaue where NSCR each has a station.
The completion of the section involved the installation of fabricated viaducts in major sections of Malolos Crossing, Fausta Road, San Pablo Road, First Bulacan Industrial City, Tabang Bridge traversing Manila North Road in Guiguinto, Balagtas-Pandi Road and the Bocaue section of the Bocaue-Santa Maria Bypass Road.
Aquino added that the construction of the Bocaue to Meycauayan City portion is in full swing.
He also disclosed that the viaduct going to a depot located between the cities of Meycauayan and Valenzuela is eyed to be finished by the end of this year.
Aquino said the construction progress for NSCR Phase 1 or the Tutuban to Malolos segment is 37.30 percent.
The Phase 2 or the Malolos to Clark International Airport segment is at 25.76 percent. DOTr targets NSCR Phase 1 will be partially operational from Valenzuela to Malolos by 2027, he added.
The 147-kilometer NSCR System is the largest and longest railway project being completed under the "Build Better More Infrastructure Program" of the Marcos Administration.
Once completed, the railway will reduce travel time between Clark International Airport and Calamba City in Laguna from four hours to two hours.