Rail project to link Malolos to Calamba

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – The government is pursuing plans for a P271.19-billion railway system that would link Malolos, Bulacan to Calamba, Laguna.

The North-South Commuter Rail Line, stretching 89.7 kilometers, will be the first project under the government’s Integrated Luzon Railway Project, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications.

The Public-Private Partnership Center said the project would cost about P271.19 billion.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the railway would be constructed under the Build-Operate-Transfer scheme, which the concessionaire can manage and operate up to 30 years.

Abaya said the winning bidder would not only construct the railway, but also provide rolling stocks including trains, signal system, bridges and viaducts.

He said the project includes the construction of a modern railway between Malolos and Caloocan City and the rehabilitation of the Southrail from Alabang to Calamba, Laguna.

The project will eventually extend to the Clark International Airport, he added.