MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved the operations and maintenance (O\&M) project of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), a flagship initiative under the administration’s Build Better More program aimed at enhancing mass transport and economic connectivity across Luzon.

The approval was made Tuesday during the second meeting of the Economic Development Council, which the President chairs. The O\&M project will be implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

The NSCR is a 147.26-kilometer elevated railway system that will connect Clark in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna, improving mobility across Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon.

Designed with 35 stations — 31 elevated, three at-grade, and one underground — the railway will have depots in Clark, Valenzuela, and Calamba. It is projected to accommodate up to 800,000 passengers daily in its opening year, with ridership expected to grow to one million daily.

Two types of services will operate on the line: a commuter service using 51 trainsets with a capacity of 2,242 passengers each, and a Limited Express service deploying seven trainsets that can carry up to 386 passengers each.

Trains will run at speeds between 120 to 130 kilometers per hour, a significant improvement from the current average of 20 to 40 kilometers per hour. Travel time from Clark to Calamba will be reduced to approximately three hours, while trips from Clark to Alabang via the Limited Express will take around two hours. The minimum train headway is expected to be three minutes.

The NSCR will also integrate with the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), specifically in the FTI to Bicutan segment, to enable seamless connectivity between major transit lines.

Pre-operations are scheduled to begin in March 2026, with full operations targeted for January 2032. The total cost of the project is estimated at PHP 229.32 billion.