The Philippines’ Department of Transportation has signed four civil works contracts worth USD1.87 billion for the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP) connecting Manila and Laguna in the Philippines.

The project involves the design, construction, installation, commission and finance nearly 55 km of railway segment to connect Metro Manila with Laguna province including 18 stations. It is a part of the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) network.

The project will create as many as 35,000 construction jobs and more than 3,000 permanent jobs during the railway operation. Once completed the USD6.03 billion project is expected to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by over 284,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually as commuters switch from road to rail transportation. More than 600,000 passengers are anticipated to use the entire NSCR system daily by 2040.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is funding the civil works for the railway viaduct, stations, bridges, tunnels, and depot buildings, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency is funding the rolling stock and railway systems.