MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday vowed that his administration would continue to modernize and improve the country’s transportation system.
“I assure the Filipino people that the government will strive to modernize and improve the country’s transportation system. This will be one of the cornerstones of our progress as we move full speed ahead into a brighter tomorrow,” the President said after witnessing the signing of the contract for the electromechanical systems and track works for the North-South Commuter Railway project (CP-NS01).
Marcos described the contract signing for the project as a “milestone” towards the completion of the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway, which he said, will reduce travel time between Clark International Airport and Calamba City, Laguna.
The Department of Transportation and Mitsubishi Corporation held the contract signing at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañan Palace.
He said the implementation of the civil works for the project would generate thousands of jobs and would have a multiplier effect on the country’s economy.
Marcos also thanked the Japanese government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the financial support for the project and “for being active partners in the country’s infrastructure development.”
“We are glad to have you with us as we continue to strengthen our relations built on mutual confidence and cooperation, a relationship that has gone on for many, many decades, and I can say without fear of contradiction that the development of the Philippines, especially in terms of infrastructure has shown that Japan has taken a very, very important part in that,” he said.
The CP-NS01 is part of the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway project and is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank.
File photo shows the first of the Japan-made trains of the North-South Commuter Railway arriving at the project’s Malanday depot in Valenzuela City last year. The 148-kilometer mass transport system is expected to reduce travel time between Laguna and Pampanga by half, and will have 35 stations along its route. (GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / INQUIRER)
The scope of the contract includes the design, supply, manufacture, delivery, integration of systems, installation, testing, and commissioning of all equipment and systems for the Malolos-Clark Railway project and the North-South Railway project – South line.
Construction for the project will start in April, and the Clark to Malolos line is expected to be partially operational by the third quarter of 2026.
