Metro Manila subway mobilization starts today

MANILA, Philippines — Mobilization for the construction of the P357-billion Metro Manila subway project will begin today, moving the development of the country’s first underground train forward toward its partial operability by late 2021, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The DOTr in February broke ground for the Metro Manila subway project and likewise signed the design and build contract for the first three stations, or the partial operability section, with the joint venture of Shimizu Corp., Fujita Corp., Takenaka Civil Engineering Co. Ltd., and EEI Corp.

“The contractor will start to mobilize people for clearing, fencing, demolition and at the same time, we will also do a check payment ceremony with the landowners,” Transportation Undersecretary for rails Timothy John Batan said.

Batan said that 60 percent of the project’s right-of-way is completed at present.

“By middle of next year it will be finished. Give us six more months and that will be completed,” he said.

The Metro Manila subway project is a 35-kilometer railway line which will reduce the travel time from Quezon City to NAIA to 45 minutes.

It will have 15 stations, crossing seven local governments, and passing three of Metro Manila’s business districts.

The project is being funded by an official development assistance from Japan.

Full operations is eyed by 2025, with partial operability section seen completed by the fourth quarter of 2021.

In the first year of full operations alone, the rail system is expected to serve up to 370,000 passengers per day, with a capacity of serving up to 1.5 million passengers daily.

The Senate Committee on Public Services last October started looking into the realignment of stations in the proposed subway project, which reportedly crosses a major earthquake fault.

Reports said the Metro Manila subway as proposed by the DOTr apparently deviated from the original proposal by a joint NEDA-JICA team that ensured that it would not pass through hazards or danger zones.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, however, earlier said the project’s alignment would not be moved anymore because it is already approved by various studies.

Tugade said it is important that the construction of the subway be started immediately as it is one of the key projects to ease Metro Manila’s traffic congestion.