The Economy and Development (ED) Council approved the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) operations and maintenance project under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

During a meeting, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who chaired the Economy and Development Council said  it’s his administration’s infrastructure flagship projects.

It aims to modernize public transportation and improve regional connectivity across Luzon.

The NSCR is a 147-km. elevated railway line that will ease travel across Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon.

It is expected to benefit 800,000 passengers daily in its opening year, eventually serving up to one million commuters.

The railway will feature 35 stations, including 31 elevated, three at-grade, and one underground.

Pre-operations for the project will begin in March 2026 until July 2027.

The concession period for the partial operations of Phase 1, which stretches from Clark International Airport to Valenzuela (13 stations), will commence in December 2027 and continue until September 2028.

The concession period for the partial operations of Phase 2, which extends the services to Nichols in Pasay City with additional segment from Alabang, Muntinlupa City to Calamba, Laguna will run from October 2028 until December 2031.

Full operations are expected to begin in January 2032.

The total estimated cost of the operations and maintenance contract is PHP229.32 billion.

Depots will be located in Clark, Pampanga; Valenzuela City; and Calamba, Laguna to support maintenance and operations.

The NSCR will offer two types of train services: commuter trains, with 51 trainsets each capable of carrying 2,242 passengers, and Limited Express trains, with seven trainsets accommodating 386 passengers each.

These services are designed to significantly improve travel speeds, with trains operating at 120 km. to 130 km. per hour.

DEPDev said the travel time from Clark to Calamba would be reduced to approximately three hours via commuter service from about four hours, while the limited express service would cut travel time from Clark to Alabang to about two hours.

“The North-South Commuter Railway Project is a major step toward faster, greener, and more connected transportation for Filipinos, as the system will also be integrated with the Metro Manila Subway. At the same time, it will promote green and commercial development along its corridors,” DEPDev Secretary and ED Council Vice-Chair Arsenio Balisacan said.

Aside from the NSCR operations and maintenance, the ED Council also tackled the midterm update of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 during its meeting.

The midterm update of the PDP 2023-2028 refines and recalibrates the country’s key policies, strategies, programs, and legislative priorities to ensure alignment with evolving economic conditions and development goals.

DEPDev spearheads the updating process of the Plan at the midpoint of each administration to assess progress and make the necessary adjustments to targets and interventions.

“We have learned a lot of lessons from our past experiences and many of these have been reflected in our recent efforts, ” Balisacan said. “We will continue to stay on our course to sustain our momentum for the second half of this administration.”

Following the discussions from the Council meeting, DEPDev will be receiving comments from various agencies to finalize the updated Plan, which will be released to the public by the end of this month.