The Department of Transportation (DOTr) ordered the speedy construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), which is funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon said NSCR is 27.29 percent complete as of January. It is set to for partial operation by 2028.

Earlier reports revealed that the 2025 budget for foreign-assisted projects was slashed by up to 80%. The project also faces right of way and other legal issues.

"Losing 80 percent of your budget is huge, it's a big problem. But we have unprogrammed (budget) so we're going to have to work with the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Budget (DBM) to see how we can save 2025 (budget)", Dizon said in an interview with GMA 7 last February.

The 147 kilometer rail line of NSCR, will decongest Metro Manila traffic and shorten travel time from Clark, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna by less than two hours.

It is expected to accommodate 800,000 passengers per day. Marie Manalili/DMS