Balagtas station

Balagtas
The old Bigaa Station in protective sheathing dwarfed by the future Balagtas Station
General information
Location	Borol 1st Balagtas, Bulacan Philippines
Coordinates	14°49′31″N 120°54′22″E
Owned by	Philippine National Railways
Operated by	Philippine National Railways
Line(s)	Planned: North Commuter Former:   North Main Line
Platforms	Side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Other information
Status	Under construction
History
Closed	1984, 1990s
Rebuilt	2019–ongoing
Previous names	Bigaa
Services
Commuter rail
Location Balagtas Location in Bulacan Show map of Bulacan Balagtas Location in Luzon Show map of Luzon Balagtas Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines

Balagtas station is an under-construction elevated North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) station located in Balagtas, Bulacan, Philippines.[1] The station was part of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) North Main Line before its closure in the 1980s.[2] It was also the terminus of the defunct Balagtas–Cabanatuan line.[3]

History

The station was constructed in the 1880s, along with other stations in the North Main Line (then known as the Ferrocarril de Manila a Dagupan) as Bigaa station. The station was closed in the 1980s after operations in the north was reduced to Caloocan,[2] but was briefly reopened between 1990 and 1997 under the Metrotren program, a commuter rail service to Malolos.[4]

After the line's closure, several attempts were made to electrify the commuter rail service in Metro Manila from Calamba, Laguna to Malolos, and connect it to the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone, which would also involve the construction of a new Balagtas station. The first attempt was the Manila–Clark rapid railway project with the assistance of Spain, which was discontinued after disagreements in the project's funding.[5] The second attempt was the NorthRail project, which involved the construction of an elevated dual-track system.[6] The project was started in 2007, but was repeatedly halted then discontinued in 2011 due to allegations of overpricing and corruption.[7][8]

The NorthRail project was later revived as the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR), which involved the construction of an elevated dual-track system in three phases. The construction of the new station is part of the NSCR's first phase, PNR Clark 1.[1][9] The Philippine National Railways (PNR) is also planning to revive the defunct Balagtas–Cabanatuan line, with this station as its terminus.[3] Construction work began in February 2019.[10] As part of the project, the historical station will also be preserved.[11] Structural works for the station were completed in April 2022.[12] Partial operations are slated to begin by 2027.[13]

Gallery

• 
  The old station.
• 
  The railway's right of way before construction.
• 
  Construction of the station, March 2021.
• 
  Construction of the station, December 2021

References

1. Paz, Chrisee Dela. "17 stations of Manila-Clark Railway announced". Rappler. Archived from the original on 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
2. "Brief history of PNR". Philippine National Railways (February 27, 2009). Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
3. bw_mark. "PNR evaluating train service to Nueva Ecija | BusinessWorld". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
4. "Metrotren Inaugural". Manila Chronicle. May 11, 1990. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
5. Inquirer, Philippine Daily. "WHAT WENT BEFORE: The Northrail Project". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
6. "Off track: Northrail timeline". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
7. Landingin, Roel. "Chinese foreign aid goes offtrack in the Philippines" (PDF). PCIJ (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
8. "Philippines: China-funded Northrail project derailed". Financial Times. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
9. Romero, Maria (March 8, 2021). "PNR Clark Phase 1 almost 50% complete–DoTr". Tribune.net.ph. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
10. Mercurio, Richmond (February 16, 2019). "Construction of North-South Commuter Railway kicks off". Philstar.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
11. INQUIRER.net. "PNR to preserve old train stations in Bulacan". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
12. "Structural works for PNR Clark 1 completed". Manila Bulletin. 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
13. Taguines, Andrea (June 13, 2024). "North-South Commuter Railway partial operations pushed back to 2027: DOTr". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 12 July 2024.