Valenzuela railway station
The old Valenzuela station in 2018, before rehabilitation
General information
LocationMacArthur Highway, Dalandanan
Valenzuela, Metro Manila
Philippines
Owned byPhilippine National Railways
Operated byPhilippine National Railways
Line(s)Planned: North Commuter
Former:   North Main Line
PlatformsIsland platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeElevated
ParkingYes (Wilcon Depot Valenzuela)
Other information
StatusUnder construction
Station codeVAL
History
OpenedMarch 24, 1891
Previous namesPolo
Services
Commuter rail

Valenzuela station, formerly known as Polo station, is a former railway station located on the North Main Line in Dalandanan, Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is currently being rebuilt as part of the first phase of the North–South Commuter Railway.[1][2]

Construction of Valenzuela station in March 2022

History

The station opened in as Polo station, in what was then the municipality of Polo, in Bulacan. This was originally part of the railway line connecting Manila to northern Luzon. It once served as a flag stop. Along with the then-municipality, it was later renamed and became known as the Valenzuela station.

The station was abandoned in 1997 after services to Meycauayan ceased.[3] It was supposed to be built as a result of the Northrail project – a rebuilding of the line from Manila to Pampanga which would partly use the old right-of-way. The project commenced in 2007, however, construction was halted as of 2011. The ill-governed project did not continue even after a renegotiation,[4][5][6][7] due to China calling off the overseas development assistance fund for the project.[8]

With the full swing construction of the North-South Commuter Railway, the old abandoned station is cordoned off and will be restored as part of the construction agreement. The new elevated station will be located immediately above the old one.

Revival

This station will be one of the first 6 stations of the Manila-Clark Railway or North-South Commuter Railway – a mass transit railway from Manila to the New Clark City. It is expected to be finished by 2021.[1]

It is also a likely target for restoration for the Metro North Commuter Line as the station before it, Acacia station, is reopened. Two stations may be considered. One candidate site, apart from the old station in Polo, Valenzuela, is near the PNR bridge tunnel in the Karuhatan-Malinta border – the Malinta Bridge. If realized, this bridge will be within the historical railway station in Dalandanan. This is where Antonio Luna once planned defenses against the Americans during the precursors of the Philippine-American war. It is highly implied that the restoration of services may reach Meycauayan and beyond, as it did in the past.

Railway restoration was hampered by the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10.1 construction, which runs at vital parts of the route going to Valenzuela, which has been opened on March 1, 2019. A vital component to the restoration of the services is the reconstruction of the railway bridge crossing Tullahan River, which has since been demolished and destroyed due to the aforementioned obsolescence and the construction of the expressway. Studies to rebuild the bridge and eventually reintroduce railway services in Polo have started.[9]


References

  1. 1 2 "17 stations of Manila-Clark Railway announced". Rappler. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  2. ↑ Romero, Maria (March 8, 2021). "PNR Clark Phase 1 almost 50% complete–DoTr". Tribune.net.ph. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ Consecutive station layouts. Main Line North (Report). Manila Railroad Company. March 12, 1949. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  4. ↑ Northrail construction now 'on track', bayan-natin.blogspot.com, original article at The Manila Bulletin, retrieved October 20, 2011.
  5. ↑ Philippine National Railways, retrieved October 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ CAPEX Program (October 10, 2011), docs.google.com, retrieved October 20, 2011
  7. ↑ Chinese foreign aid goes offtrack in the Philippines Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, Roel Landingin for PCIJ (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism), retrieved October 20, 2011
  8. ↑ "PH gov't ends dispute with China's Sinomach over Northrail project". Rappler. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  9. ↑ "Completed railway assets to ease traffic by 25%: DOTr".

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