Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Officials from the Department of Transportation, and the Lopez Group-First Balfour joint venture pose for a photo during a simple ceremony to mark the milestone start of construction of the diaphragm-wall for the underground FTI train station. Handout

Article (news)

Benise Balaoing

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760928323957cropped-20251020031024_e87cba163b5c97cab4f032ba8de976e501e55163eb1172eb20dd7f69b223f283.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Officials from the Department of Transportation, and the Lopez First Balfour joint venture pose for a photo during a simple ceremony to mark the milestone start of construction of the diaphragm-wall for the underground FTI train station. Handout</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Lopez Group unit First Balfour and its partner Leighton Asia have started the construction of a structural wall for the North-South Commuter Railway project.</p><p>In a statement, the Lopez Group said First Balfour is building the diaphragm-wall for the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) train station of the railway underneath Bicutan in Taguig.</p><p>A diaphragm wall is a structural concrete wall that provides support and foundational stability for a structure.</p><p>The Department of Transportation (DOTr) awarded the contract to build a 6.1-kilometer segment of the railway to First Balfour and Leighton Asia&#x27;s joint venture in 2023. The project involves the construction of 4.7 kilometers of twin tube tunnels and ground level structures.</p><p>The FTI station will also be a transfer hub connecting the ground-level and elevated sections of the railway with the underground Metro Manila Subway Project. </p><p>The North-South Commuter Railway is a 147-kilometer railway connecting Clark in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna. Once completed, it will have 58 train stations and serve 800,000 passengers daily. It is expected to cut travel time between Clark to Calamba to 2 hours.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/8/12/after-long-delay-construction-of-solis-blumentritt-nscr-stations-begins-2148" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">After long delay, construction of Solis, Blumentritt NSCR stations begins</a></div><p>The construction of the railway begain in 2019. Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the project will be completed by 2030 or 2031.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/9/18/north-south-commuter-railway-project-advances-despite-right-of-way-issues-1359" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">North-South Commuter Railway project advances despite right-of-way issues</a></div>

<p>Lopez Group unit First Balfour and its partner Leighton Asia have started the construction of a structural wall for the North-South Commuter Railway.</p>

Lopez Group unit First Balfour and its partner Leighton Asia have started the construction of a structural wall for the North-South Commuter Railway.

Lopez Group unit starts construction of North-South Commuter Railway structural wall

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Lopez Group unit starts construction of North-South Commuter Railway structural wall

Benise Balaoing,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 20, 2025 10:54 AM PHT

Read More:

north-south commuter railway

FTI station

Taguig

First Balfour

Leighton Asia

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