Final subway deals worth P60 billion to be awarded by Q2

MANILA, Philippines — The government will award the final three contract packages (CP) for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) worth at least P60 billion by the second quarter to speed up the civil works and complete the railway by 2028.

Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez yesterday said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) would announce the contractors for the final segments of the MMSP by the second quarter.

In particular, the DOTr expects to award CP 105, the stations linking Kalayaan in Makati City to Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City; CP 108, the Lawton to Senate track; and CP 109, the spur line to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Chavez said each of the packages amounts to around P20 billion. The DOTr wants to release the final CPs as soon as possible to start the construction of the southern end of the subway.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the government faces issues in getting the right of way (ROW) for some portions of the MMSP. However, he committed that the project would be completed by 2028 as scheduled in spite of the challenges in ROW acquisition.

Bautista said the DOTr has put up a specialized group within the agency tasked to work with the Office of the Solicitor General in handling the ROW acquisition for the underground railway.

Barring any construction delays, Bautista said commuters may start using the subway by 2027 if contractors of the northern line – from East Valenzuela to Shaw Boulevard stations – finish their segments on time.

The DOTr yesterday led the groundbreaking ceremony for the CP 103 of the MMSP comprising the Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations, including the tunnels bridging them.

In 2022 the DOTr awarded CP 103 to infrastructure giant Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. Ltd. CP 103 is a build-only contract totaling around P27 billion and spans for 6.6 kilometers in route length.

Moving forward, the DOTr will lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the CP 102 in March. The agency awarded CP 102 – involving the stations in Quezon Avenue and East Avenue – to D.M. Consunji Inc., who is also eyeing the remaining packages of the subway.

The P488.88-billion Metro Manila Subway, funded by Japan, will extend for about 33 kilometers across seven cities, from Valenzuela City to Pasay City.

As the first underground railway in the Philippines, it is expected to serve 519,000 passengers a day and cut travel time from Valenzuela City to NAIA to just 45 minutes.