The structure of the Malolos Station for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) in Bulacan has now been completed.
According to Jojo Giron, Deputy Project Manager of the NSCR System from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the platform, or passenger boarding area, of this three-story building is positioned between the crossing train tracks.
This means that once train operations begin, trains stopping at the station will open their doors on the left side.
Giron explained that the Japanese contractor, Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Corporation Ltd., chose to place the platform in the middle due to the limited land area owned by the Philippine National Railways (PNR) in the city of Malolos.
This setup is similar to the system used at the Shaw Boulevard, Boni, and Buendia stations of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 along EDSA, which were also designed by Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Corporation Ltd. and another Japanese firm, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in 1997. At these stations, train doors open on the left side.
The new Malolos Station of the NSCR is built adjacent to the former station of the Manila Railway Company, which is now known as PNR, established back in 1891.
The ground floor of the new station will serve as the entrance and exit for passengers, directly connecting to the planned intermodal terminal for buses, jeepneys, and tricycles. From the ground floor to the second floor, there will be a commercial area generating non-rail revenues.
This initiative will help in repaying the Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to the Philippine government.
Since the actual construction of the NSCR System in Malolos began in 2019, the P879 billion project, which spans 147 kilometers, is set to run from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna.
In addition to JICA, the DOTr is also partnering with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), particularly for the NSCR segments from Malolos to Clark International Airport and from Blumentritt in Manila to Calamba, Laguna.
Meanwhile, the City of Malolos government has laid out plans to build footbridges from the NSCR station.
These footbridges will connect the station to key locations such as the Bulacan Eco-Commercial Building of the provincial government, Bulacan State University, Malolos Central Transport Terminal, and the Capitol grounds.
The local government will fund the footbridge project through the National Tax Allocation. (PIA Region 3-Bulacan)
