he Department of Transportation (DoTr) is pushing to complete 12 relocation buildings by the end of the year to house families affected by the massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Wednesday he ordered the construction of the relocation sites to be expedited so that displaced residents can move into their new homes immediately.

The relocation effort, funded by the DoTr, involves the construction of 82 three-story buildings under the Social Housing Finance Corp. The first 12 sites, scheduled for completion by December, can provide housing for 360 families.

Lopez said that the DoTr is also scheduled to visit another relocation site this week for residents affected by the NSCR in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The NSCR is a 147-kilometer line that will connect Calamba, Laguna, to Clark, Pampanga. Co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank, the railway is expected to reduce travel time to under two hours and serve up to 800,000 passengers daily.

The DoTr is currently preparing to open the bidding process for the P250-billion contract to operate and maintain the NSCR, which is expected to be awarded by mid-2026.

This timeline is intended to give the winning operator ample time to prepare for the railway’s partial operations, which are targeted for December 2027.