(Eagle News)– The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced it would open public utility vehicle routes to serve commuters who will be affected by the temporary closure of some Philippine National Railways stations due to the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway.
According to the LTFRB, based on Memorandum Circular No. 2023-20, opened are the FTI-Divisoria via East Service Road and Alabang (Starmall), Divisoria via the South Luzon Expressway, and Malabon-Divisoria routes.
The LTFRB said a specific number of public utility vehicles will be deployed to each of the routes:
- FTI-Divisoria: 30 public utility buses
- Alabang (Starmall)- Divisoria: 25 public utility buses
- Malabon-Divisoria: 5 modern public utility jeepneys
However, the “number of units may be modified accordingly depending on passenger demand,” the memorandum said.
“The effect of the closure of these select PNR stations on commuters will be quite substantial so through these PUV routes, we hope to lessen the impact of the closure,” LTFRB chair Teofilo Guadiz said.
Earlier, the PNR management announced that the Alabang-Calamba service will suspend operations beginning July 2, 2023 until the completion of the NCSR.
The following stations will also remain closed to pave the way for the construction: Alabang, Muntinlupa, San Pedro, Biñan, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, Mamatid, and Calamba.
The PNR has said 30,000 commuters will be affected daily with the stations’ temporary closure.
The NSCR is a 147-kilometer urban railway network that is expected to connect Metro Manila to Pampanga and Laguna.
Its construction is expected to end in 2028.
