A faster, more efficient commute for Lagunenses is now getting closer to reality after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $4.3 billion (P227.6 billion) loan for the construction of the Manila-Calamba segment of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
For many Lagunenses who work and study in Metro Manila, the daily commute in itself has become increasingly “hellish” in the past years, especially in the period before the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020.
Limited transportation options and heavy traffic had meant that daily commutes between the province, especially its “Industrial Belt” from San Pedro to Calamba cities, to Manila takes up a sizable proportion of Lagunenses’ workdays – from two to three hours each way.
While the Philippine National Railways (PNR) does have a commuter line extending to Calamba City, Laguna, train service is currently limited to twice a day, with a northbound service early morning and a southbound run every night.
This meant that most commuters could hardly get a chance to catch what many has seen as the “most efficient” way to get to Manila.
In two to three years, however, all that hassle and stress of commuting in Laguna province will be a thing of the past, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) recently announced.
This, after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $4.3 billion (P227.6 billion) loan for the construction of the southern segment of the DOTr’s North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
President Rodrigo Duterte and ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa signed the agreement for the 57-kilometer rail project, which will run from Manila to Calamba City, Laguna, in Malacanang Palace last Thursday (June 16).
Reliable, safe transportation
In a statement released by the ADB, the investment in the railway system is the bank’s largest infrastructure financing in the Asia and Pacific region to date and proves the commitment of the ADB in assisting the Philippines to achieve its high economic growth target.
“The South Commuter Railway Project will provide affordable, safe, reliable, and fast public transport for commuters,” Ahmed Saeed, ADB Vice-President for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, said in a statement.
“This project represents ADB’s biggest infrastructure investment and reflects our commitment to helping the Philippines attain its goals of reducing poverty, improving the lives of Filipinos, and achieving green, resilient, and high economic growth,” he added.
The project would be financed under a multi-tranche financing facility, with the first tranche of $1.75 billion to be made available starting this year, while the second and third tranches will be made available by 2024 and 2026.
The loan would cover civil works for the railway viaduct, stations, bridges, tunnels, and depot buildings, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing the rolling stock and railway systems.
Seamless travel
The Manila-Calamba railway represents the southern portion of the NSCR, one of DOTr’s most ambitious infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program, which will run all the way from Clark, Pampanga to Calamba City.
The railway system will have 18 stations traversing Manila, Makati City, Taguig City, Paranaque City, Muntinlupa City, San Pedro City, Binan City, Santa Rosa City, Cabuyao City, and Calamba City.
It will also have a connecting tunnel to allow the operation of direct trains from Calamba to stations on the future Metro Manila Subway system, further reducing the travel time between Manila and Calamba from 2.5 hours down to an hour.
Once finished, government officials see the railway as a productivity booster not only in terms of business generation along its line due to the increase in passenger traffic but also in terms of reducing travel time.
The reduced travel times meant that commuters will have more time for leisure activities and other work and leisure without wasting too much of their time on their daily commute.
“It is projected that with an improved travel time and better connectivity in the region, Filipinos will have better access to an average of more than 300,000 jobs within any one-hour commute, creating a multiplier effect in the economy through new opportunities opened by the infrastructure program,” the ADB said.
The Manila-Calamba railway is also expected to connect with the 380-kilometer PNR Bicol project, which will run from Calamba City to Daraga, Albay.
Last January 18, the DOTr had already awarded the contract for the PNR Bicol Package 1 to Chinese joint venture China Railway Group Ltd., China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group Co. Ltd., and China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co. Ltd., with construction set to start later this year.
Job creator
ADB added that the NSCR will further strengthen the Philippines’ economic recovery from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as it is expected to create more than 35,500 jobs during construction and over 3,200 permanent jobs during operation.
While the country receives its fair share of natural calamities, the ADB declared that all infrastructure will be designed to be disaster-resilient and able to withstand typhoons and earthquakes – an important factor considering that the line will pass through areas prone to flash floods and close to the West Valley Fault line.
The main railway will also be elevated to avoid flooding and reduce the impact and disruption to communities along the railway route.
Sneak peek
Meanwhile, the ADB also released artists' conceptions of what the new Manila-Calamba railway will look like upon completion.
The images, published on ADB's Facebook page last Thursday (June 16), gives commuters a glimpse of a world-class rail network at select stations, including Buendia, EDSA, Sucat and Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
The renderings show innovations such as glass-encased elevator shafts, rail line barriers for passengers' safety, and a fully-electronic ticketing system, which will bring the new railway at par with other modern transport networks in Southeast Asia.
(With report from PNA)