The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) have filed 105 expropriation cases for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), the largest number of such cases filed for a single project in the DOTr’s history.
The cases were tackled during a three-day expropriation workshop in Clark, Pampanga, where the agencies reviewed their status, addressed legal bottlenecks and mapped out steps to expedite resolution.
Transportation Secretary Banoy Lopez said the milestone supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to fast-track major infrastructure projects and ensure the NSCR is delivered on schedule. Assistant Secretary for Right-of-Way and Site Acquisition IC Calaguas also stressed that swiftly resolving legal issues is crucial to keeping construction on track.
The DOTr said the Valenzuela-Malolos segment is expected to begin operations next year, while efforts continue to complete the railway line to Clark by 2028.
The 147-kilometer NSCR, with 35 stations, will connect Metro Manila with Pampanga and Laguna, cutting travel time across the region from four hours to two hours. Full operations are targeted by 2032, with capacity to serve more than 800,000 passengers daily.
