MANILA - The construction of the PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark) segment of the North-South Commuter Railway project will begin soon after its contract packages were signed on Aug. 1, the Transportation Department said Monday.

The DOTr and the Asian Development Bank signed the contracts virtually for the 53-kilometer extension which will bring passengers from Makati City to Clark International Airport in under 1 hour, the DOTr said in a statement.

The first contract package will cover the civil engineering and building works for the estimated 6.3 kilometers of the main line and 1.6 kilometers of the depot's access line with an underground station serving Clark International Airport, the DOTr said.

The second package will cover the civil engineering and building works for the Clark Railway Depot, with an area of about 33 hectares, it said.

“While the critics have expressed doubts, skepticisms, and discouragement, we will give the people hope, confidence, and assurance through concrete actions and actual work," DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

The "trail-blazing project" will feature trains that will run at 160 km per hour, making them one of the fastest modes of land transport, he said.

The construction will generate some 24,000 local jobs and an additional 14,000 for operating the railway system, said ADB Southeast Asia director general Ramesh Subramaniam.

"The signing of contracts today also is very, very timely. The civil works contracts will help kickstart the economic revival of the Philippines over the next 12 months as the country faces the pandemic," Subramaniam said.

Once partially operational by 2022, the PNR Clark Phase 2, a 53-km rail line segment, will connect Malolos, Bulacan to Clark International Airport and cut travel time to 30 to 35 minutes from 1 hour and 30 minutes, the DOTr said.

Also present during the virual signing are representatives from Acciona Construction Philippines, EEI Corporation, and POSCO Engineering and Construction Corporation.

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