The Department of Transportation expects the country’s major railway systems to eventually carry as many as 5 million passengers a day once key projects are completed and integrated.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez told a Senate budget hearing Friday that the North-South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway, MRT-3, MRT-7 and other rail lines could significantly shift commuters from roads to trains.
Lopez said the expanded network is expected to provide more predictable travel times, wider access to public transport and lower commuting costs while easing congestion on major roads.
An early test will be MRT-7, where the DOTr is targeting partial commercial operations in the second quarter of 2027 for 12 stations from Sacred Heart to North Avenue in Quezon City.
The department is using a conservative estimate of around 300,000 passengers per day for MRT-7’s initial operations.
Under the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program, Php 197.30 billion is allocated for rail transport. This includes Php 123.84 billion for the NSCR and Php 67.44 billion for the Metro Manila Subway.
The two projects account for nearly 97 percent of the proposed railway budget.
The DOTr is still targeting partial operations of the NSCR section from West Valenzuela to Malolos, Bulacan by December 2027.
Full operations of the Metro Manila Subway, meanwhile, are projected by 2032, provided funding remains uninterrupted.
Lopez stressed that sustained funding is critical because delays can affect right-of-way acquisition, contractor payments and overall project timelines.
The DOTr’s proposed 2027 budget stands at Php 300.96 billion, 52.52 percent higher than the Php 197.33 billion proposed under the 2026 National Expenditure Program and more than double the agency’s Php 137.85-billion enacted budget for this year.
