IN 2028, the construction of the P873.62-billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project will be completed and the trains will be operating.

Philippine National Railways (PNR) Chairman Michael Ted Macapagal has made an announcement in a speech delivered at a Rotary Club of Makati meeting held at the New World Hotel.

"All human, financial and technical resources of the PNR and its contractors are being made to bear on the flagship project of the current administration," Macapagal said. "My boss, DoTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, is under orders to finish it on time."

"Finding a solution to the traffic gridlock is a promise made by President Ferdinand Marcos [Jr.], and we are determined to deliver on that promise," the PNR chief said.

The first phase of the construction — from Clark to Valenzuela — is nearing completion. The civil works on the railway from Metro Manila to Alabang and from Alabang to Laguna will commence next month.

According to Macapagal, the NSCR and the Metro Manila Subway, which construction is being undertaken at the same time, will ease — if not totally eliminate — traffic woes in and out of the metropolis.

The NSCR runs from Clark Global City in Pampanga to Calamba City in Laguna, with a distance of 147 kilometers. Once operational, it will be able to transport 800,000 passengers a day. Travel time from one end of the line to the other will be cut in half, from 8 to 4 hours. Of course, the commute between stations along the way will be in a matter of minutes.