The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is confident it can meet the 2028 completion target for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Clark segment as right-of-way (ROW) acquisition in Angeles City nears completion.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Wednesday that ROW acquisition for the NSCR alignment in Angeles City has already reached 90 percent, which allows construction works to move forward.

“We have already achieved 90 percent of the right-of-way acquisition. You can now see that the project here is progressing,” Lopez said.

“We need this completed by 2028. That’s the agreement,” he added, referring to discussions with project contractor Italthai.

On Wednesday, Lopez led an inspection at the project along with Pampanga 1st District Representative Carmelo Lazatin, Transportation Senior Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, Assistant Secretary for Right of Way Acquisition for Rail and Road IC Calaguas, and Assistant Secretary for Railways Eduardo Danilo Macabulos.

Lazatin said the NSCR is expected to drive economic activity in Central Luzon by improving connectivity to Clark International Airport and supporting business, tourism, and investment growth.

The DOTr targets partial operations of the NSCR segment from Valenzuela City to Malolos, Bulacan, by December 2027, while the Malolos-to-Clark segment is scheduled to begin operations by October 2028.

Once completed, the 147-kilometer NSCR system is expected to cut travel time between Clark, Pampanga, and Calamba, Laguna to about two hours.