Five million passengers daily projected when major rail lines open

MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects the country’s major railway lines to eventually carry as many as 5 million passengers daily, putting mass transit at the center of its P300.96-billion proposed budget for 2027.

Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez told a Senate budget hearing Friday that combining the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Lines 3 and 7, and other rail systems should significantly divert commuters from roads to trains.

“Kapag 'yan po lahat nagsama-sama at operational po, ang makikinabang na po sa tingin namin, (Once all of those are integrated and operational, we estimate) five million passengers everyday using that railway system,” Lopez said.

He said the expanded network would give commuters more predictable travel times, better accessibility and lower fares while easing pressure on congested roads.

An early test will come from MRT-7, where DOTr is targeting partial commercial operations in the second quarter of 2027 for 12 stations from Sacred Heart to North Avenue in Quezon City.

Lopez used a conservative estimate of 300,000 daily passengers for the initial MRT-7 operations

The 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) earmarks PHP197.30 billion for rail transport, including PHP123.84 billion for the NSCR and PHP67.44 billion for the Metro Manila Subway. Together, the two projects account for nearly 97 percent of the proposed railway allocation.

DOTr is still targeting partial operations of the NSCR section from West Valenzuela in Quezon City to Malolos, Bulacan by December 2027, while full operations of the Metro Manila Subway is projected by 2032, provided funding is sustained.

He stressed that continuity of funding is critical because interruptions can affect right-of-way acquisition, contractor payments and project schedules.

“Bigyan lang tayo ng sapat na pondo po (Just give us sufficient funding),” Lopez said.

The proposed PHP300.96-billion DOTr budget for 2027 is 52.52 percent higher than the PHP197.33 billion proposed under the 2026 NEP and more than double the agency's PHP137.85-billion enacted budget this year. (PNA)