PNR to suspend Alabang-Calamba trips

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will suspend its daily services from Alabang in Muntinlupa to Calamba in Laguna, a route taken regularly by about 1,000 people, to give way to the civil works of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).

In an advisory, the PNR said that it will suspend its Alabang-Calamba trips starting July 2 to make way for the construction of the NSCR.

The closure will affect two services – Calamba to Alabang at 4:38 a.m. and Alabang to Calamba at 7:56 p.m. – ferrying an average of 467 commuters each way every day.

Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez said the suspension of PNR services would speed up the construction of the NSCR by about eight months. Estimates showed that the government would save P15.18 billion from PNR’s closure.

With PNR operations shut, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects that land acquisition and relocation of utilities would be done faster and allow NSCR builders to place the tracks and put up posts for the new railway.

Chavez said an elevated, double-track and electrified train system will be built on top of existing PNR tracks to deliver the NSCR.

As such, the NSCR will replace the PNR’s current at-grade, single-track and diesel setup.

According to Chavez, the suspension of PNR services from Alabang to Calamba means that the stations in Alabang, Muntinlupa, San Pedro, Biñan, Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao, Mamatid and Calamba will be closed, too.

In February the DOTr made an early announcement that it will suspend PNR operations for five years to give way to the civil works of the NSCR.

The closure should give utility providers such as Maynilad Water Services Inc. and National Grid Corp. of the Philippines the time to transfer their assets located in the alignment.

Most importantly, the suspension will provide NSCR contractors the space to put up the rail line without interruption. During its construction, the NSCR is expected to generate around 110,000 jobs – directly and indirectly – given the immensity of the project.

To be finished in 2028, the P873.62-billion NSCR will link Malolos, Bulacan with Clark International Airport and Tutuban, Manila with Calamba, Laguna.

When fully operational, the NSCR is projected to serve close to 800,000 passengers a day, as it will cut travel time between Pampanga and Laguna to less than two hours.