THE third 8-car Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trainset for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Malolos-Tutuban segment has arrived in the Philippines, a top official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday.
It is undergoing importation procedures at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and is scheduled to be transported to the Malanday depot in Valenzuela City, DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
Lopez said the construction of the NSCR remains on track, and the project is expected to significantly reduce travel time for thousands of commuters.
"The directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is clear: accelerate the construction of the NSCR. With this latest development, we are on target to deliver the project on time,” he said.
“We have ensured that each trainset undergoes rigorous inspection to guarantee the highest quality, safety, and reliability for the riding public," he added.
The trainset was procured from Japan Transport Engineering Company and Sumitomo Corporation under Contract Package 03: Rolling Stock (CP03).
Another trainset for the NSCR is expected to arrive in the country by October 2026, it said.
According to the top DOTr official, the agency is targeting the start of partial operations for the NSCR along the Valenzuela-Malolos, Bulacan, route by the fourth quarter of 2027.
Lopez reiterated that the chief executive has already directed the acceleration of the project's construction to ensure that the NSCR line, stretching from Valenzuela to Clark, Pampanga, becomes operational before the end of his term.
Spanning 147 kilometers with 35 stations, the NSCR system will connect Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), creating a seamless railway network across three major regions, the DOTr said.
Once fully operational, the NSCR is projected to serve approximately 800,000 commuters daily, it stressed.
Beyond expanding capacity, the project will also dramatically shorten travel time, reducing the journey from Clark, Pampanga, to Calamba, Laguna, to just two hours, down from the current four-hour commute, Lopez said.