North–South Commuter Railway
Construction of the railway inBalagtas, Bulacan
Overview
Status	West Valenzuela to Clark and Manila to Calamba segments: Under construction Valenzuela to Solis segment (Section 1): Construction pending[note 1]
Owner	Department of Transportation
Locale	Central Luzon Metro Manila Calabarzon
Termini	New Clark City Clark International Airport Tutuban Calamba
Continues from	PNR Metro Commuter Line (Solis to Calamba only)
Stations	36
Website	https://nscr.com.ph
Service
Type	Commuter rail Airport rail link
System	Philippine National Railways
Services	4
Operator(s)	Philippine National Railways
Depot(s)	Malanday[note 2] Mabalacat Banlic
Rolling stock	Various, seerolling stock
History
Commenced	February 15, 2019; 6 years ago (2019-02-15)
Planned opening	December 2027 (partial) January 2032 (full)[note 3]
Technical
Line length	147 km (91 mi)
Number of tracks	Double[note 4]
Character	Elevated[note 5]
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge
Loading gauge	4,150 mm × 3,000 mm (13 ft 7 in × 9 ft 10 in)[1]
Minimum radius	Mainline: 260–400 m (850–1,310 ft)[1] Depot: 92–100 m (302–328 ft)[1]
Electrification	1,500 V DCoverhead lines[1]
Operating speed	Commuter: 120 km/h (75 mph) Airport Express: 160 km/h (100 mph)
Signalling	Hitachi Rail STS/Alstom Atlas 200ETCS-2[note 6]
Highest elevation	130 m (430 ft) atClark International Airport station
Maximum incline	25‰
Average inter-station distance	4.11 km (2.55 mi)
Route map New Clark City E1Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway Mabalacat Depot Quitangil River E1Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway Clark International Airport E1 Clark Spur Road Clark Abacan River Clark Angeles City Angeles Angeles City San Fernando Sindalan Creek San Fernando San Fernando River San Fernando Apalit Apalit Apalit Calumpit Pampanga River Calumpit Angat River Calumpit Malolos Malolos Malolos South Malolos Guiguinto Guiguinto Guiguinto River Guiguinto Balagtas Balagtas Santol River Balagtas Bocaue Bocaue River Bocaue Bocaue Marilao Tabing-Ilog Igulot River Marilao Marilao River Marilao Meycauayan Meycauayan Meycauayan River Meycauayan Valenzuela Valenzuela Depot Valenzuela Valenzuela Polo Tullahan River Valenzuela Malabon Malabon Malabon Caloocan Caloocan E5NLEX Harbor Link Caloocan Manila Solis Tutuban Blumentritt Estero de Sampaloc España 8 Santa Mesa Pasig River Paco Manila Makati Buendia Estero de Tripa de Gallina EDSA 3 Makati   Estero de Tripa de Gallina   Taguig NAIA Terminal 3 -East Valenzuela   Senate–DepEd  MMS  FTI  MMS  Taguig Parañaque Bicutan  MMS  Parañaque Muntinlupa Sucat Sucat River Mangangate River Alabang Bayanan Creek Poblacion River Muntinlupa Magdaong River Muntinlupa   Tunasan River   San Pedro San Isidro River San Pedro Pacita Main Gate San Pedro Biñan Biñan Biñan River Biñan Santa Rosa Silang-Sta. Rosa River Santa Rosa Santa Rosa Cabuyao Cabuyao River Cabuyao Gulod Cabuyao River Mamatid Cabuyao Calamba Banlic Banlic Depot San Cristobal River San Juan River Calamba This diagram: view talk edit

TheNorth–South Commuter Railway^{[note 7]} (NSCR), also known as theClark–Calamba Railway, is a 147-kilometer (91-mile)commuter rail system under construction on the island ofLuzon in the Philippines. Running fromNew Clark City inCapas, Tarlac, toCalamba, Laguna, with 36 stations and four services, the railway is designed to improve connectivity within theGreater Manila Area and will be integrated with therailway network in the region.^[5][6][7]

Originally planned in the 1990s, the railway project has had a tumultuous history, being repeatedly halted and restarted for various reasons.^[8] The first proposals were the 32-kilometer (20-mile) "Manila–Clark rapid railway" withSpain in the 1990s, alongside the "Manila–Calabarzon Express".^[8][9][10] During the 2000s, the Northrail project withChina was initiated but discontinued in 2011 due to allegations ofoverpricing.^{[11][12][13][14]} The railway's current incarnation began development in 2013.^[15] The project's initial phase was approved in 2015,^[16] and construction began in 2019.^[17]

Expected to cost₱873.62 billion,^[18] the line is the most expensive railway transportation project in the country. The entire system is expected to be completed by January 2032.^[19]

During the Spanish and American colonial periods, the Manila Railway Company, later theManila Railroad Company (MRR), operated various local trains betweenManila and its neighboring provinces. By the 1920s, trains had run from Tutuban toNaic inCavite,Pagsanjan inLaguna,Montalban inRizal, andBulacan.^[21] The network was heavily damaged in theBattle of Manila duringWorld War II,^[22] but was mostly reestablished after the war.^[23] MRR was succeeded by thePhilippine National Railways (PNR) on June 20, 1964.^[24]

On April 6, 1970, PNR inaugurated the Metro Manila Commuter Service, which started atManila North Harbor and ended inBiñan station in Laguna.^[25] After numerous expansions, the commuter service served thousands of daily riders in its system and had an expansive network in and out of Metro Manila.^[26] In 1978, at the request of the Philippine government, theJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a study on the electrification of the commuter service.^[27] The plan was made to keep up with the increasing demand for transportation in the region. It called for the replacement of the diesel-run trains and the electrification of the PNR commuter line. Two experts from theJapanese National Railways were sent to conduct the study.^[27]

Services north of Manila started to decline in the 1980s. However, commuter services were briefly extended toMalolos starting in 1990 under theMetrotren project but later ceased in 1997.^[28] Since then, railway services have been mostly confined to the south, with the contemporaryMetro Commuter Line being predominantly aligned to the South Main Line.^[29]

In 1994, PresidentFidel Ramos signed an executive order designatingClark Air Base, as the premier international airport, with the support of theBases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), while the other agencies also supported the development, and in the same year, President Ramos signed a memorandum of agreement withJuan Carlos I of Spain for the construction of a railway line from Manila to Clark.^[30][8] This would be known as the Manila–Clark rapid railway system (MCRRS). A joint venture agreement was entered into on June 10, 1995, between BCDA, PNR, Philippine companiesDMCI Holdings andFort Bonifacio Development Corporation, and Spanish firms withConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Entrecanales y Tavora, Cubiertas y MZOV, (both companies later merged to formAcciona) and Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, S.A., as well as other investors. The agreement also established the North Luzon Railways Corporation (NLRC) for the purpose of constructing, operating, and managing the railroad system on August 24.^[8][31][32] In 1996, Spanish and Japanese companies entered the bidding process, while the project would have also been co-financed by the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF, laterJapan Bank for International Cooperation or JBIC, now JICA). The NLRC then entered into an engineering, procurement and construction contract with theSpanish Railways Corporation on February 7 of the same year. Meanwhile, in 1997,Ayala Land proposed the construction of a railway known as the Manila–Calabarzon Express (MCX). Its initial phase involved the rehabilitation of the railway from Caloocan to Calamba and eventually the construction of spur lines toCarmona andCanlubang under abuild–own–operate scheme.^[8][33][34]

Studies indicated that the MCRRS project was planned to unfold in four phases.^[20] Phase 1, was set to connectFort Bonifacio, including a proposed intermodal station inBonifacio Global City, to theClark Freeport and Special Economic Zone. Phase 2 aimed to extend the line toSubic Bay. Phase 3 planned for an extension toSan Fernando, La Union. Phase 4 proposed another extension from San Fernando toLaoag and an additional spur line toSan Jose, Nueva Ecija.^[20] Both proposals were subsequently included in the Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS).^[10]

The contract between the NLRC and the Spanish Railways Corporation was terminated on August 14, 1998, after the parties disagreed on the source of funding for the project.^[8]

Despite the contract termination, in September 1999, theNational Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved the MCRRS, with the initial phase covering a segment fromCaloocan toCalumpit. The source of funding was to be the Obuchi Fund from the JBIC.^[8] The consortium was also now joined by Japanese companies including Fil Estate Management, Nishimatsu Construction, andMitsui & Co.^[35] Pre-construction activities such as right-of-way clearing and relocation of affectedinformal settlers began, but a presidential directive later halted the clearing activities.^[8] Then, JBIC later dumped the project because of the government could not commit to clear the railway path squatters before releasing a loan, causing a lack of funds.^[36]

Ayala Land was subsequently excluded from the MCX as the government opted to fund the railway construction also through the Obuchi Fund, opening the project for bidding to private developers.^[37][38] In April 2000, the JBIC Obuchi Fund provided a $300 million loan to tap the ₱18.2 billion project. By the following year, theJapanese government was considering funding the project.^[39][40]

Another study about the integration of Metro Manila's railway network by JICA in 2001 proposed thethrough-operation of both railways in two options, such as an elevated section running 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) on the existing PNR old right-of-way or an underground section running 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) fromTayuman toVito Cruz. According to SIRNMM, the proposed indicative length, which would have run from Tayuman to Marilao, was 17.0 kilometers (10.6 mi), while both options for MCX were to be 46.2 kilometers (28.7 mi) (elevated) or 43.2 kilometers (26.8 mi) (underground) from Tayuman toCabuyao.^[41][42] However, the plans would never materialize.

Under the presidency ofGloria Macapagal Arroyo, the MCRRS was succeeded by the Northrail project, a 320-kilometer (200-mile) railway system from Caloocan to San Fernando, La Union.^[43] The Northrail project's 80-kilometer (50-mile) phase 1 involved the upgrading of the existing single track to an elevated dual-track system,converting therail gauge fromnarrow gauge tostandard gauge, and linking Manila to Malolos inBulacan and further on to theClark Freeport and Special Economic Zone andClark International Airport.^[44][8] The first segment of phase 1 covered the 32-kilometer (20-mile) railway from Caloocan to Malolos.^[45] Succeeding phases followed the MCRRS masterplan, although Phase 4 was removed, Phase 3 was rebranded as Phase 4, and the section between Fort Bonifacio to Caloocan was rebranded as Phase 3, while Phase 2 was unchanged.^[20] Its southern counterpart, the Southrail project, involved the rehabilitation of the entireSouth Main Line fromCalamba toLegazpi, Albay, with an extension toMatnog.^[46][47] Meanwhile, the Northrail–Southrail Linkage involved the rehabilitation of the existing Metro Commuter Line from Caloocan to Calamba, creating a link between the two systems.

On September 14, 2002, a memorandum of understanding was signed by NLRC and China National Machinery and Equipment Group (CNMEG) for the project.^[8] It was later approved on August 5, 2003.^[8] The project was estimated to cost around US$500 million, and the funding was to be covered by a US$400 million loan from theExport–Import Bank of China, and the rest to be shouldered by the government through BCDA and NLRC.^[8][9][45] The Southrail project was also expected to be financed by loans from China,^[48][49] while the linkage project was to be financed bySouth Korea.^[50][51] While the plans for Southrail were not realized, the initial phase of the linkage project from Caloocan to Alabang was completed in December 2010.^[52]

Before Northrail's construction could start, the project became embroiled in controversy as thePhilippine Senate raised concerns about alleged corruption in the project. SenatorFranklin Drilon commissioned a study from theUniversity of the Philippines, which recommended the cancellation of the railway's construction, citing anomalies in the bidding process and the Buyer Credit Loan Agreement (BCLA) with Exim China.^[8] Despite the controversy, preparatory construction began in early November 2006.^[53] Civil and design works started in October 2007.^[8] However, CNMEG reportedly demobilized from the project on July 1, 2008, due to differences on engineering and construction standards, although this was later retracted.^[8]

Due to delays in the construction work, it was soon renegotiated with the Chinese government. Construction temporarily continued in January 2009 with the support of the North Luzon Railways Corporation.^[8] However, the project would be shelved in March 2010 due to persisting legal issues and allegations of overpricing and corruption.^[54][44] In 2011, Northrail was cancelled by the government under the presidency ofBenigno Aquino III.^[53][55] Like the failedHopewell Project inBangkok, a few structures had been completed by the time of its cancellation. The government contemplated reusing the completed structures from the project, but ultimately, this was not implemented.^[56]

In September 2011, the government expressed its interest to restart the project with China reportedly open to reconfigure the project.^[54][57] In March 2012, the Philippine Supreme Court authorized a lower court to hear the case for voiding the contract. Instead of paying the US$184 million owed by the government in 2012, the Department of Finance was to pay Exim China four installments of US$46 million from September 2012 onwards.^[55] In August 2012, the Chinese and Philippine governments agreed to "disengage" from the project,^[58] although the Philippine government was still obligated to pay the corresponding loans. On November 6, 2017, DOTr, BCDA, and NLRC reached an out-of-court settlement with Sinomach (formerly CNMEG), resolving the five-year dispute. It saved the government₱5 billion in potential payment of claims to Sinomach and hundreds of millions ofpesos in legal fees and arbitration costs.^[44]

TheGovernance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) ordered the deactivation of NLRC in May 2019. According to GCG, the company was "not producing the desired outcomes, no longer achieving the objectives and purposes for which it was designed and created, and not cost efficient and does not generate the level of social, physical and economic returnsvis-à-vis the resource inputs."^[59] On October 19, 2023, NLRC was formally abolished, with the BCDA to act as the administrator andliquidator of NLRC and settle itsliabilities.^[60]

With the termination of the Northrail project, theDepartment of Transportation and Communications considered restarting the project by commissioning a feasibility study by CPCS Transcom Ltd. of Canada. Part of the study examined having a Malolos–Tutuban–Calamba–Los Baños commuter line.^[61][62] The feasibility study was still ongoing when the NEDA included the project in theMetro Manila Dream Plan, which it approved in 2014.^[63] JICA also conducted a new study a year before a new transport infrastructure master plan was published. This plan calls for anairport express railway linkingNinoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila to Clark International Airport with a total length of 99.4 kilometers (61.8 mi).^[20] The government also examined building a railway on top of theNorth Luzon Expressway instead of using the PNRright of way, which was still allocated for the Northrail project at the time.^[64]

By August 2014, the Northrail project was reinitiated as the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and awaited approval.^[55] On February 16, 2015, the NEDA board, chaired by President Aquino, approved the NSCR Phase 1 as part of the North–South Railway Project (NSRP).^[65][66] The NSCR, a part of the NSRP north line's first phase, was a 37-kilometer (23-mile) electrified narrow gauge commuter railway from Tutuban to Malolos, funded through overseas development assistance.^[67][68] Other components of NSRP masterplan include the reconstruction of the existing Metro Commuter line and the reestablishment of long-haul services to northern and southern Luzon, all of which were to be funded through apublic–private partnership (PPP) scheme.^[68][65][69] After President Aquino met withJapanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe in Japan in June 2015, Abe expressed his commitment to fund the project. On November 19, 2015, representatives of both countries exchanged notes on the project in the presence of Abe and Aquino.^[16] JICA was chosen by the Japanese government to look into financing the project, and on November 27, JICA and theDepartment of Finance signed a loan agreement worth ₱97.3 billion ($1.99 billion) for the financing of the first phase.^[70][71][72]

Before the inauguration of PresidentRodrigo Duterte, Aquino's successor, Chinese diplomats reportedly offered to construct the railway from Manila to Clark within two years.^[73] However, his administration continued the NSCR project with Japan and included the project under its flagshipBuild! Build! Build! Infrastructure Program.^[74] On June 25, 2017, transportation secretaryArthur Tugade unveiled the locations of the first five stations during a press tour of the old PNR line.^[75] In addition, numerous changes to the project were made. The railway's gauge was changed to standard gauge,^[76] and the railway was extended toNew Clark City. The south commuter line, now under the NSCR project as the North–South Commuter Railway Extension Project (NSCR-Ex),^[53] shifted from a PPP scheme in favor of overseas development assistance from Japan and later theAsian Development Bank (ADB).^[77] The long-haul segment of the south line was separated under a new project known as thePNR South Long Haul.

On January 21, 2019, a loan agreement worth₱80.47 billion (US$1.54 billion) for the NSCR-Ex, which includes the PNR Clark 2 and Calamba sections, was signed by JICA and theDepartment of Finance (DOF).^[78] Another loan agreement worth₱66.6 billion (US$1.3 billion) for the NSCR-Ex project was signed on July 11 by the ADB and DOF.^[79] JICA would finance the electrical and mechanical systems as well as the trains for the PNR Clark 2 and Calamba sections, while ADB would finance the civil works.^[80]

The loan for the civil works of PNR Calamba, worth₱227 billion (US$4.3 billion), was approved by the ADB on June 9, 2022.^[81] The loan agreement was signed by President Duterte and ADB on June 16.^[82] Two more loan agreements were signed on February 9, 2023, during the working visit of PresidentBongbong Marcos inJapan.^[83]

List of contractors

Contract package	Scope of work	Contractors	Date awarded	Notes
Tutuban–Malolos segment (funded by JICA)
CP 01	Construction of Valenzuela–Bocaue section[note 12]	Taisei Corporation DMCI	May 2019[84]	VSL International, a subsidiary ofBouygues was appointed as thesubcontractor for the construction of the viaduct.[85]
		TBD for Section 1[note 13]		The Taisei-DMCI joint venture (TDJV) was originally awarded as the contractor for the section before it was descoped as part of its revisions.[86] During the contract negotiations, it was agreed that the project would be divided into three sections. However, the joint venture withdrew from the first section of the contract in May 2023 due toright of way issues.[87] This plan is awaiting JICA's concurrence on the descoping and the contract amendment for CP01. Ongoing coordination with the consultant NSTren for preparing bidding documents for a newly revised section (CP06).[88] As of September 2025, there has been no progress on this project's section.
CP 02	Construction of Bocaue–Malolos section	Sumitomo Mitsui Construction[89]	January 2019
CP 03	Rolling stock for Tutuban–Malolos railway	Sumitomo Corporation J-TREC	July 2019
CP 04[90]	Electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems	Hitachi Rail STS	November 2022[2]
CP 05	Construction of Tutuban–Solis section	TBD		Bidding ongoing,[91] pending finalization of the merger between the two sections that would merge to further extend the section to 9 kilometers (5.6 mi). Ongoing coordination and meetings for the re-evaluation of the contract because of the proposed alternative approach/relocation ofTutuban station.[88] As of September 2025, there has been no progress on this project's section.
Malolos–Clark Railway (civil works funded by ADB)
CP N-01	Construction of Malolos–San Simon section	Megawide Construction Corporation Hyundai Engineering & Construction Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company	September 2020[92][93]
CP N-02	Construction of Santo Tomas–San Fernando, Pampanga section	Acciona DL E&C	October 2020[94]
CP N-03	Construction of Mexico–Clark (Mabalacat) section	Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited
CP N-04	Construction ofClark (Mabalacat)–Clark International Airport section	EEI Corporation Acciona	August 2020[95]
CP N-05	Construction of 33-hectare (82-acre) depot and main operations control center inMabalacat	POSCO
CP S-01	Construction of Solis–Blumentritt section (Blumentritt extension)	PT Adhi Karya PT PP	February 2023[96][97]
South Commuter Railway (civil works funded by ADB)
CP S-02	Construction of Blumentritt–Paco section	Acciona DMCI	February 2023[96][98]
CP S-03a	Construction of Paco–Senate section	Leighton Contractors (Asia) First Balfour	June 2023[99]
CP S-03b	Construction of Senate–FTI section and tunneling works toMetro Manila Subway Senate station		February 2023[100]
CP S-03c	Construction of FTI–Sucat section	PT Adhi Karya PT PP	June 2023[101]
CP S-04	Construction of Sucat–San Pedro section	Hyundai Engineering & Construction Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company	September 2022[102][103]
CP S-05	Construction of San Pedro–Cabuyao section		September 2022[102][104]
CP S-06	Construction of Cabuyao–Calamba section		September 2022[102][105]
CP S-07	Construction of Banlic depot	Lotte Engineering & Construction Gülermak EEI Corporation	September 2022[102][106]
Other associated contracts (funded by JICA)
CP NS-01	Electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems for Malolos–Clark and Manila–Calamba railways	Mitsubishi Corporation Alstom Colas Rail	February 2023[3]
CP NS-02	Commuter rolling stock for Malolos–Clark and South Commuter railways	Sumitomo Corporation J-TREC	January 2022[107][108]
CP NS-03	Limited express trains	Mitsubishi Corporation Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles	October 2023[109]

Construction was planned to begin in the last quarter of 2017,^[75] but pre-construction works, such as clearing of the right of way, were only started on January 5, 2018.^[110] The railway is being built in three phases and divided into two primary sections:

• PNR Clark — This is the northern section of the NSCR. Construction was divided into two phases. PNR Clark 1 involves the 38-kilometer (24-mile) Tutuban–Malolos railway, while PNR Clark 2 involves the 53-kilometer (33-mile) Malolos–Clark railway. The 91-kilometer (57-mile) railway line, when fully completed, will run fromTutuban station in Manila toNew Clark City station within theClark Freeport and Special Economic Zone, with a link to Clark International Airport.^{[111][112][113]}
• PNR Calamba — Also known as PNR Clark Phase 3,^[114] PNR Calamba is the southern section of the NSCR. It involves the reconstruction of the existingMetro Commuter Line as an electrified standard gauge railway with elevated, at-grade, and depressed sections.^[115][116] The 56-kilometer (35-mile) railway will run fromSolis station in Manila toCalamba station inLaguna.

PNR Clark 1 broke ground on February 15, 2019,^[17] followed by PNR Clark 2 on September 18, 2021.^[80] Meanwhile, construction of PNR Calamba began on July 3, 2023, following the closure ofAlabang–Calamba commuter services the previous day.^[117] To fast-track the construction of NSCR South, the rest of the Metro Commuter Line services temporarily closed on March 27, 2024. The closure would fast-track construction by eight months, saving₱15.18 billion in costs.^[118]

On March 15, 2024, theDepartment of Transportation announced the completion of the 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) segment of PNR Clark 1 fromMalolos toBocaue. Nevertheless, the remaining segments are 37.30-percent complete as of the month, while PNR Clark 2 is at 25.76 percent.^[119]

The partial opening was initially set for 2022, but this deadline was not met, presumably due to several factors including but not limited to right of way acquisition, and theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[120][121] Instead, it expects partial operations by December 2027 and full operations by January 2032. Additionally, according to a source, there are challenges regardingright of way, particularly in the Valenzuela to Sucat, Parañaque segment.^[122] The government has extended financial help to formal andinformal settlers affected by the construction.^[123] However, sources said that this project couldn't be finished during the Marcos administration.^[124]

The first section of the PNR Clark 1, from Solis to Valenzuela, has been postponed due to right of way issues. The right of way is obstructed by 1,100 square metres (0.00042 sq mi) of private properties, utilities, ROW sharing between the DOTr and theNLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, and affected PNR Facilities, among others. DOTr could not hand over the Caloocan depot because of the construction of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 which runs along the PNR's right of way and is also experiencing delays.^[87] A school in Manila was also affected, where transition assistance from the Schools Division Office (SDO) was needed as the students were impacted and required relocation.^[125] In March 2025, PNR General Manager Deovanni Miranda stated that the segment between Tutuban and Caloocan, where informal settlers will be displaced, is under discussion with the local government. Additionally, he mentioned that the PNR area has also been 80% cleared, with the contractor expected to achieve 100% clearance.^[126] As of 2026, work on this segment has not yet commenced.

The North–South Commuter Railway will comprise two sections corresponding to the Philippine National Railways' old main lines. The first is the 91-kilometer (57-mile)^[127] fully-elevated PNR Clark which is being built over the mostly-defunctNorth Main Line in northern Metro Manila andCentral Luzon.^[128][129] The second is the 56-kilometer (35-mile)^[127] PNR Calamba which will use the existingPNR Metro Commuter Line right of way between Tutuban and Calamba, which were historically parts of theSouth Main Line and will have elevated, at-grade and depressed sections.^[115]

There are four classes of services on this line. The following are:^[53]

• Commuter is the basiccommuter rail service and has the least priority. It stops at all stations within its route. There are three routes planned for this class; Tutuban–New Clark City, Tutuban–Calamba, and Clark International Airport–Calamba. The maximum speed for this service will be 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) for the entire line.
• CommuterExpress is thelimited-stop service for the line, succeeding theCommex service during theMetrotren era in the early 2000s. Although it will run faster than regular commuter trains, it will still use the same routes and rolling stock.
• TheAirport Limited Express is the temporary designation for the plannedairport rail link andlimited express service between Clark International Airport and Alabang station. As the flagship NSCR service, it will use dedicated rolling stock complete withintercity-grade amenities plus baggage space for people arriving from the airport. It will have a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) along the NSCR North. As of January 2022^[update], the final name for the service is yet to be determined.
• Subway through-service is the proposed augmentation between the NSCR and theMetro Manila Subway. It will serve the southernmost areas of Metro Manila and neighboring Laguna, branching from the subway line atFTI station while the remainder of the line will go towards the direction ofNAIA Terminal 3 inPasay. It will use the Subway trainsets instead of the NSCR ones, although both are from thesustina family.

Proposed train stations and services^{[131][53][132]}

Phase	Station	Services								Transfers	Location
		Commuter			Commuter express			Limited express	Through service to/from Metro Manila Subway[53]
		NCC–Tutuban	CIA–Calamba	Tutuban–Calamba	NCC–Tutuban	CIA–Calamba	Tutuban–Calamba				City / municipality	Province
PNR Clark 2	New Clark City	●	—N/a	—	●	—	—	—	—	none	Capas	Tarlac
	Clark International Airport	｜	●		｜	●		●		Clark International Airport	Mabalacat	Pampanga
	Clark	●	●		●	●		｜		none
	Angeles	●	●		｜	｜		｜			Angeles City
	San Fernando	●	●		●	●		｜			San Fernando
	Apalit	●	●		｜	｜		｜			Apalit
	Calumpit	●	●		｜	｜		｜			Calumpit	Bulacan
	Malolos	●	●		●	●		｜		P2P  Robinson's Malolos	Malolos
PNR Clark 1
	Malolos South	●	●		｜	｜		｜		none
	Guiguinto	●	●		｜	｜		｜		Jeepneys and Tricycles	Guiguinto
	Tuktukan	●	●		｜	｜		｜		Tricycles
	Balagtas	●	●		｜	｜		｜		14  35  UltraMega Balagtas	Balagtas
	Bocaue	●	●		●	●		｜		14  35  Wakas (Joner's Supermart)	Bocaue
	Tabing Ilog	●	●		｜	｜		｜		none	Marilao
	Marilao	●	●		●	●		｜		14  35  SM Marilao
	Meycauayan	●	●		｜	｜		｜		14  35  Malhacan Road	Meycauayan
	Valenzuela	●	●		●	●		｜		14  35  42  Malanday	Valenzuela	Metro Manila[note 14]
	Valenzuela Polo	●	●		｜	｜		｜		none
	Malabon	●	●		｜	｜		｜		54  Letre	Malabon
	Caloocan	●	●		●	●		｜		8  14  22  35  42  54  5th Avenue	Caloocan
	Solis	●	●		｜	｜		｜		Abad Santos  8  42  54  Abad Santos	Manila
	Tutuban	●	｜	●	●	｜	●	｜		Tutuban  8  PNR-1  PNR-2  Divisoria
PNR Calamba	Blumentritt	—	●	●	—	●	●	｜		Blumentritt  42  Blumentritt
	España		●	●		●	●	｜		8Maceda  6  7  17  34  49  53 Blumentritt Road  5  14  38  40  52  54  San Diego Street
	Santa Mesa		●	●		●	●	｜		Pureza  2  3  Pureza Pasig River Ferry Service PUP Ferry Station
	Paco		●	●		｜	｜	｜		54  Pandacan
	Buendia		●	●		●	●	●		4  Taft Avenue  5  6  7  10  11  12  14  17  23  24  25  27  34  38  40  42  48  49  53  62  Buendia	Makati
	EDSA		●	●		●	●	｜		3Magallanes  10  11  12  38  40  45  46  59  Magallanes
	Senate–DepEd[133][134]		●	●		｜	｜	｜		None	Taguig
	FTI		●	●		●	●	●		MMS   41  45  62  PNR-1 TITX
	Bicutan		●	●		｜	｜	｜	●	MMS   10  15A  24  36  40  50  PNR-2  Bicutan	Parañaque
	Sucat		●	●		●	●	●	●	PNR Bicol  10  15A  24  36  40  44  50  PNR-2  Sucat	Muntinlupa
	Alabang		●	●		●	●	●	●	10  15A  23  24  36  40  44  50  PNR-2  Vista Terminal Exchange
	Muntinlupa		●	●		●	●	—	●	15B  38  39  46  48  Tunasan
	San Pedro		●	●		｜	｜		●	15B  38  39  46  48  United Bayanihan	San Pedro	Laguna
	Pacita		●	●		｜	｜		●	15B  38  39  46  48  Pacita Terminal
	Biñan		●	●		｜	｜		●	12  25  Biñan Bayan  58  59  Southwoods	Biñan
	Santa Rosa		●	●		●	●		●	11  15C  30  Balibago (Santa Rosa Commercial Complex)	Santa Rosa
	Cabuyao		●	●		●	●		●	Jeepneys and Tricycles	Cabuyao
	Banlic		●	●		｜	｜		●	PNR Bicol	Calamba
	Calamba		●	●		●	●		●	none
Stations initalics will open in 2030.

The Metro Manila Dream Plan proposed a 38-kilometer (24-mile) branch line that will split inAngeles City. The line will have 12 stations and shall end inTarlac City.^[135] The study also proposed a 47-kilometer (29-mile) extension of the NSCR to Batangas City.^[135] This will be built parallel to thePNR South Long Haul project which was approved in 2017, with the line being a single-track, standard gauge line without electrification, and will be built at-grade similar to the present PNR network.^[136] The PNR has also requested for a feasibility study for a commuter line connecting Tarlac City andSan Jose, Nueva Ecija in 2019. The length of the line and the number of stations will be determined once a proposal has been submitted.^[137] Another proposed southward extension toPansol in Calamba, Laguna was proposed by a 2019 JICA report.^[138]

The North–South Commuter Railway will also have provisions forinfill stations: Malabon, Valenzuela Polo, Tabing Ilog, Tuktukan, and Malolos South.^[53]

NSCR will be the first commuter rail system in the country to be mostlygrade-separated. Trains are designed to run on1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge tracks at a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) for regular trains and 160 kilometers per hour (99 miles per hour) for airport express trains.^[139]

All stations will have a standard layout, with a concourse level and a platform level. The stations are designed to adhere to both Philippine and Japanese standards.^[53] Stations will either haveisland platforms orside platforms withplatform screen doors. The stations are designed to bebarrier-free, and trains shall have spaces for passengers usingwheelchairs. Historical stations will be preserved.^[140] All stations will have access to intermodal facilities.^[53] The FTI station in particular will be connected to theTaguig Integrated Terminal Exchange.^[141]

The North–South Commuter Railway will have two types of rolling stock: commuter trains and airport express trains. Except for wheelchair spaces, the commuter trains will have a capacity of 2,242 passengers. The express trains, on the other hand, will have a capacity of 392 passengers.^[142] A total of 464electric multiple unit traincars have been procured to operate on the line, with 408 of these being the 8-carEM1000 class trainsets to be built by theJapan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC), successor to the Tokyu Car Corporation that provided rolling stock to the Philippines from 1955 to 1976. The trainsets, called the Sustina Commuter at the time of purchase, are based onJR East commuter stock such as theE233 series but adapted tostandard gauge. The trains are also designed to be interoperable with theMetro Manila Subway.^[143] The trainsets have been designated as the EM1000 class in October 2021.^[144]

The procurement for the 56 airport express trainsets began on February 26, 2021, with a suggested preliminary design based on theE259 andE353 series being published on the same day.^[142] On May 10, the Department of Transportation later announced that it would acquire the airport express trainsets from Japanese manufacturers.^[145] After several months of delays and rescheduling, three bidders have submitted their designs on October 15:Kawasaki Heavy Industries andSojitz,Marubeni andStadler Rail, andMitsubishi andConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).^[146] On August 24, 2023,^[147] Mitsubishi and CAF, also the manufacturers of theLRTA 13000 class trains on theLRT Line 1, were awarded the contract for the express trains.^[109]

Rolling stock	Commuter trains[53][148][1]	Airport express trains[142][149]
Image
Year	Batch 1: Fiscal 2022 Batch 2: 2025–2028[150]	TBD
Manufacturer	J-TREC	Mitsubishi andCAF
Model	EM1000 class	TBD
Number to be built	408 cars (51 sets)	56 cars (7 sets)
Orderno.	CP 03 (first batch) CP NS-02 (second batch)	CP NS-03
Formation	8 cars per trainset
Car length	20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Width	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Pantograph lockdown height	4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Floor height	1.13–1.15 m (3 ft 8 in – 3 ft 9 in)
Body material	Lightweight stainless steel	Aluminum alloy and stainless steel
Tare weight	270 t (600,000 lb)	315 t (694,000 lb)
Axle load	16 t (35,000 lb)
Capacity	Leading car: 266 standing, 45 seated Intermediate car: 285 standing, 54 seated	Leading car: 40 seated Intermediate car: 52 seated PWD seating: 8 wheelchair spaces
Seat layout	Rapid transit-style longitudinal seating	Airline-styleopen coach seating
Doors per side	4	2
Traction control	IGBT–VVVF (first batch) HybridSiC–VVVF (second batch)	HybridSiC–VVVF
Traction power	1,500 V DCoverhead catenary
Pantograph type	1 single-arm pantograph	Toyo Denki 2 single-arm pantographs, outward facing
Top speed	120 km/h (75 mph)	≥170 km/h (110 mph)
Train configuration	Tc–M–M–T–T–M–M–Tc	Tc–M–M–M–M–M–M–Tc
Other features	—N/a	Toilets, luggage racks
Status	First batch: Under construction/delivery[151]	Ordered; to be built

The North–South Commuter Railway will use theEuropean Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 for signaling, making it the first main line in Southeast Asia with ETCS Level 2.^[4] Initially, the PNR Clark 1 section of the line was set to use acommunications-based train control (CBTC) system.^[148] The subsystems consist ofautomatic train control (ATC),automatic train protection (ATP),automatic train supervision (ATS),train detection throughtrack circuits, andcomputer-based interlocking, with provisions forautomatic train operation (ATO).^[152]

Hitachi Rail STS,Hitachi's Italian subsidiary, was tapped in November 2022 to provide the signaling equipment for PNR Clark 1 as part of a contract package covering electrical and mechanical systems, and track works.^[2] Meanwhile,Alstom was tapped in March of the same year to supply its Atlas 200 solution for PNR Clark 2 and PNR Calamba.^[4]

The line will feature an Elastic Sleeper Direct Fasten (ESDF) typeballastless track withconcrete sleepers in the mainline and plastic/fiber-reinforced foam urethanerailroad ties on turnouts in the mainline and depot.^[152]Continuous welded rails will be employed on the mainline, while jointed rails withfishplates will be employed in the depot. 60-kilogram-per-meter (120-pound-per-yard) rails will be employed in the mainline while rails built to the JIS 50Nrail profile will be used in the depot.^[152]

The railway will have three depots with one in each region: Malanday, Mabalacat, and Banlic.^[153] The Malanday depot, located beside theValenzuela station inMalanday,Valenzuela, will serve as the main depot, hosting the operations control center for the entire line.^[154] The Mabalacat depot, located along Gil Puyat Avenue inClark Freeport Zone,Mabalacat,Pampanga, will function as a parking facility for train sets plying the Malolos–Calamba route.^[155] The Banlic depot will be located on a 24.5-hectare (61-acre) lot inCalamba, Laguna, near the namesake barangay andstation inCabuyao, featuring a control center, stabling yard, maintenance shop, and ancillary buildings.^[156][157]

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