The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $1.45 billion as the second and final tranche of its multi-tranche financing facility for the Malolos–Clark Railway Project (MCRP).

The MCRP is a 53.1-kilometer segment of the 163-km North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR), “which will reshape mass transportation in the country using disaster-resilient design and high-technology construction methods”, ADB said in a statement.

ADB approved the project’s $1.3-billion tranche 1 of the financing facility in 2019, now fully utilized.

“The Malolos–Clark Railway Project is one of ADB’s biggest project financing in the entire Asia and Pacific region,” ADB Philippines country director Pavit Ramachandran said.

“We are proud to partner with the government in making the vision of a world-class mass transportation system in the country a reality. This major transformative project will spur more investments, create jobs, and contribute to sustaining the country’s growth momentum,” Ramachandran added.

The MCRP features three types of commuter service—regular commuter trains, express trains with stops at stations with high passenger demand, and the country’s first airport express trains connecting to Clark International Airport. ADB said the rail line will help lower the country’s greenhouse gas emissions with the shift to mass transit from private vehicles.

Aside from helping decongest Metro Manila, the MCRP will promote regional economic integration by creating linkages to the Central Luzon Corridor.

ADB said it will continue to assist in the implementation of the MCRP and “provide livelihood support for vulnerable communities via technical assistance.”

Aside from the MCRP, ADB is also financing the southern leg of the NSCR system, the South Commuter Railway Project.

The NSCR is co-financed by ADB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The NSCR aims to seamlessly connect Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna by linking Metro Manila to its neighboring provinces. It will have 35 stations and run on 51 commuter train sets and seven express train sets. The rail line is expected to serve more than 600,000 passengers daily on full operations and cut travel time from end to end to less than two hours from four to 4.5 hours.

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