The daily trips of the Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) Alabang to Calamba route will halt on July 2 to make way for the construction of the P873 billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) system.

Only two trips will be affected by the route’s closure: a 4:38 AM trip and a 7:56 PM trip. About 467 commuters take each trip daily.

An elevated, double-track and electrified train system will be built directly above the existing PNR tracks, speeding up the construction of the NSCR by eight months, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Cesar B. Chavez announced Friday, June 2.

The new NSCR system will replace the PNR’s present street level, single track and diesel locomotive set-up.

”The Alabang to Calamba train service will be temporarily suspended to give way to a major construction that will result in a modern train service that will ferry more people, to more places, fast and safe,” Usec. Chavez stated.

The government aims to complete the NSCR system in five years, he added.

While the NSCR is being constructed along the route, 8 PNR stations will be temporarily unavailable: Alabang, Muntinlupa, San Pedro, Biñan, Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao, Mamatid, and Calamba.

Once completed, the 147-kilometer NSCR system will traverse from Clark, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna, linking the Greater Manila Area to neighboring provinces.

The P873 billion NSCR, which will receive financial and technical support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB), will be hailed as one of Southeast Asia’s most modernized rail systems.