CONSTRUCTION has commenced on an underground station of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) in Bicutan, Taguig City, a member of the contracting joint venture for the station said.
According to First Balfour, Inc., the engineering and construction arm of First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH), work started on the Food Terminal, Inc. (FTI) train station’s reinforced concrete diaphragm wall, which will ensure the foundational stability of the station.
The underground FTI station will also serve as an intermodal transfer hub linking the ground-level and elevated sections of the NSCR with the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
First Balfour, Inc.’s joint venture partner for the project is Leighton Asia. The partnership is known as the Leighton-First Balfour Joint Venture (LFBJV). The FTI station is covered by the NSCR 03-B contract, awarded to LFBJV in 2023.
The project covers civil engineering, tunnel construction, and building works for a 6.1-kilometer railway segment consisting of 4.7-kilometer twin tube tunnels with cross passage and ground-level structures.
The 147-kilometer NSCR will connect Malolos, Bulacan with Clark International Airport, and Tutuban, Manila with Calamba, Laguna. The P873-billion project is co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the ADB. It will have 35 stations and three depots.
According to the Department of Transportation (DoTr), the NSCR could start partial operations at the Valenzuela to Malolos segment by 2027, with the Malolos to Clark segment possibly operational by 2028. — Ashley Erika O. Jose