PNR Focused on Railway Program

Philippine National Railways (PNR) chairman Michael Ted Macapagal remains focused on helping achieve President Marcos' development plan for a comprehensive railway system across the archipelago.

- MARIANNE GO

According to the PNR official, "the Philippines is witnessing what many consider a railway renaissance, with ambitious projects spanning the entire country aimed at modernizing public transportation and boosting economic connectivity."

Part of the transportation revolution is the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Freight Railway, a flagship project that represents the administration's commitment to creating efficient cargo corridors across Luzon. The project, he said, has recently received significant international backing, with the United States boosting funding support for the proposal.

By linking Olongapo City's Subic Bay strategic port facilities with Clark's economic zone, Manila's commercial hub and Batangas' growing industrial sector, Macapagal said the project promises to revolutionize freight movement and reduce logistics costs for businesses operating in these key economic corridors.

The administration's railway development program, he assured, is on an aggressive timeline to deliver tangible benefits to commuters in the near term.

The Metro Manila Subway, representing the country's most ambitious underground transit project, he continued, targets initial operations by 2028, with full system completion shortly thereafter. The 36-kilometer underground railway will serve key areas from Quezon City to Pasay, providing high-capacity transportation solutions for thousands of daily commuters.

The North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, meanwhile, is designed to connect Metro Manila with surrounding provinces and has similarly set ambitious completion targets for its various phases.

A portion of the northern segment, he said, aims for completion by 2027, creating a comprehensive commuter network from Clark in Pampanga to Metro Manila, and further south from Alabang to Calamba in Laguna.