The Alabang-Biñan route of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) will have its last trip at 9:32 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, to give way for the construction of the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.
In a statement, the PNR said the last trip for the Biñan-Alabang route, on the other hand, will be at 5:24 a.m. on Sunday, July 16.
The Department of Transportation earlier announced the need to close the PNR routes in order to expedite the NSCR project, which it said, will pave the way for the modern railway system going to and from Metro Manila.
As a measure to assist the affected passengers, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulator Board (LTFRB) has opened new routes for public utility vehicles (PUVs) in the areas that would be affected by closure of all PNR operations.
The NSCR project is a 147-kilometer rail system that stretches from Clark in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna, vice versa.
Under the project, there will be 35 stations and 51 train sets to accommodate as many passengers going to and from Metro Manila.
The NSCR, dubbed as the longest rail system in the country, will also have seven express trains.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the NSCR System is set to open the gates for the revival of the country's rail sector.
Bautista explained that the existing tracks from Alabang to Calamba will be relocated to be used at the proposed 565-kilometer-long South Long-Haul project that will stretch all the way to Bicol.
Worth over P73.25 billion, the three civil contract packages consist of railway viaduct structures and elevated stations at Alabang and Muntinlupa, San Pedro, Pacita, Biñan, and Santa Rosa, and Cabuyao, Banlic, and Calamba.
The construction of NSCR's last three segments is part of DOTr's collaborative efforts with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), embassies of South Korea and Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), contractor Hyundai - DongAh joint venture, and the local government of Santa Rosa, Laguna.
Once completed, the rail line is expected to provide two hours of end-to-end travel for over 600,000 passengers daily on full operations.