NSCR north right-of-way acquisition rate tops 65%¥
THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it resolved 345 expropriation pleadings, raising the right-of-way (RoW) acquisition rate for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) north segment to 65.5%.
“With our partnership with the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) we are fast-tracking the right-of-way and site acquisitions for DoTr’s big-ticket projects. We need this to expedite the construction and to ensure the comple-tion of transport projects,” Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said in a statement on Thursday.
The DoTr said securing RoW has always been one of the major challenges in transport project implementation as land acquisition always delays and disrupts construction schedules.
The affected portion of the project is the Clark-Malolos corridor of the NSCR project, including critical sites for the Metro Manila Subway project, Mr. Lopez said.
The DoTr had reported an RoW acquisition rate of 7.59% in March 2025.
It said 1,537 of the 2,647 affected households have received compensation for the acquisition.
The NSCR north section is expected to be operational by 2028, while the southern section will be completed by 2031. The entire NSCR is expected to be fully operational by late 2031 or early 2032.
The 147-kilometer NSCR will connect Malolos, Bulacan with Clark International Airport, and Tutuban, Manila with Calamba, Laguna. The P873-billion project is co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank. It will have 35 stations and three depots.while, the Metro Manila Subway project’s RoW is now at 90.80%, with the project expected to be completed by 2032. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
