Work commences on airport express link from Manila to Clark

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to begin work on the next phase of a railway line that will eventually link Metro Manila and Clark International Airport in Pampanga province.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement over the weekend they awarded the first two construction packages for the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 2, which is among the government’s flagship infrastructure projects.

According to the DOTr, this marks the “commencement of construction works for the 53-kilometer extension that will connect Makati and Clark International Airport in under 1 hour.”

PNR Clark Phase 2 will link Malolos, Bulacan, to Clark, Pampanga. It forms part of the massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and the country’s first airport express railway service.The virtual signing ceremonies were done with Acciona Construction Philippines and EEI Corp. for package N-04 and South Korea’s POSCO Engineering and Construction Co. for package N-05.

According to the DOTr, contract package N-04 of the PNR Clark Phase 2 will cover the civil engineering and building works for approximately 6.3 km of the main line, and 1.6 km of the depot’s access line, with one underground station serving Clark airport.

Contract package N-05, on the other hand, covers the civil engineering and building works for the Clark Railway Depot, covering an overall area of approximately 33 hectares.

The component also includes the construction of the operations control center, stabling yard, workshops, training center and other ancillary buildings in Mabalacat, Pampanga. PNR Phase 2 will be partially completed by 2022.

It will reduce travel time between Malolos, Bulacan, and Clark International Airport to just 30-35 minutes, and from Buendia in Makati to Clark airport from two hours by car to just 55 minutes through the airport express.

It aims to serve 340,000 passengers daily in its opening year.With a project cost of about P777.5 billion, the NSCR is a 37-station mega railway network spanning 148 km. It is cofinanced by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. INQ