CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The right-of-way in six critical areas from Calumpit, Bulacan to the Clark Freeport Zone has been secured by the Department of Transportation to speed up the completion of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System.
This, flowing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to the DOTr to streamline land acquisition process for big-ticket transport projects to expedite construction of critical infrastructure aimed at easing the plight of commuters.
“We extend our gratitude to the local government units in these critical areas where we will construct the NSCR, particularly those in Angeles City, Mabalacat City, City of San Fernando, Apalit, Minalin, Sto. Tomas, Calumpit, Malolos, and the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan, for their invaluable support and cooperation in making this project possible,” acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
The six ROW properties cleared are situated in Clark International Airport, SM City Clark, Barangay Pulungbulo in Angeles City, Barangay Sto. Nino in the City of San Fernando, Barangay San Vicente in Apalit, and Barangay Iba Este in Calumpit.
The construction of the Malolos Station meanwhile, is nearing its completion, said Lopez.
The acting transport chief cited the strong support and cooperation of the Pampanga and Bulacan LGUs, while also lauding the efforts of the Right-of-Way and Site Acquisition (ROWSA) Team led by DOTr assistant secretary IC Calaguas for speeding up the process of land acquisition.
With the latest development, Lopez expressed confidence that all ROW requirements for the northern section of the NSCR’s Malolos to Clark will be completed by mid-2026.
For the southern section of the NSCR System, the DOTr is targeting to complete ROW acquisition for nine stations by December 2025, including those in Biñan, Cabuyao, Sta. Rosa, EDSA, Sucat, Muntinlupa, FTI, Blumentritt, and Sta. Mesa.
The agency is also fast-tracking the utility relocation of the NSCR’s southern segment by December 2025, alongside the Banlic Depot, with ROW acquisition already at 98 percent.
“Minamadali na talaga natin ang right of way at konstruksyon ng ating railway ayon sa direktiba ng Pangulong Marcos,” Lopez said. DOTr-PR
