Airports and trains

Over breakfast some years back, in one of those times I had the opportunity to sit down with tycoon Ramon S. Ang or RSA, together with a small group of fellow journalists, he talked about the importance of having an airport express similar to Hong Kong’s much-touted MTR which connects the airport to the rest of the city. 

At the time, he was beaming with excitement as he revealed plans to have an MRT Loop with an airport express that would seamlessly connect San Miguel Corp. (SMC)’s proposed New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan to EDSA and various points in between.

Fast forward to 2024 and for now, Ang’s focus is his newest project, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), even as development works for the Bulacan gateway continue.

It’s good that RSA knows the importance of having an airport connected to the city. As it is now, NAIA’s three terminals are not even connected to each other. 

Last Monday in Malacañang, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the SMC-led consortium signed the contract for the upgrading and management of NAIA. 

The agreement, signed by DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, Manila International Airport Authority general manager Eric Ines and RSA, is certainly a very welcome development because our main gateway really needs to be upgraded. 

The historic privatization comes at a time when NAIA is already bursting at the seams – from the parking lots to the runway and everywhere in between. 

Monday was certainly a great day for the Philippines and many are pinning their hopes that we would soon have a better airport.

Connectivity

I hope that as with the Bulacan Airport, RSA would consider improving NAIA’s connectivity – one connecting the three terminals and the more important one, having an airport express to NAIA, one that would connect the gateway to the rest of the capital region, from north to south. As it is now, everyone knows that it’s not easy to get to the airport by public transportation and while there are ride-hailing apps available, the rates for four-wheel vehicles are unreasonably expensive. 

Without the rail-based alternative, we just might expect traffic going to and from the transformed NAIA to get worse because for sure, a transformed NAIA would see more passengers using the airport.

It’s good to know that the DOTr already made sure that the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project included an airport express service that will connect NAIA and the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

Hopefully, once this becomes operational, travel time going to and from NAIA will significantly be reduced.

Early this month, news reports quoted our rail authorities as saying that the planned NSCR will be targeted for completion in 2028. Hopefully, the much-awaited rail project would be at par with efficient and world-class trains across the globe. 

In the same reports, officials also said NSCR would be using the so-called electric multiple unit trains or EMUs. This is good news because EMUs are now considered one of the best types of rolling stock because they are self-propelled carriages that use electricity as the motive power, which means lower carbon emissions.

Hopefully, NSCR would also trigger less ground vibration compared to the older types of trains used by the Philippine National Railways (PNR). I know because I’ve taken the PNR several times in the past.

If all goes as planned, the NSCR express service will be the first-ever system serving commuters going to and from NAIA. 

Those of us who have had the chance to travel abroad, even just to our neighbors in Asia, may have experienced the importance of having airports connected to the city via trains. 

As RSA cited, Hong Kong is one example. You don’t need to worry about reaching the city if you land in Hong Kong and you don’t have anyone to fetch you.

It’s also a plus that the ride in Hong Kong MTR’s airport express service is always a pleasant one, with nice views of the city. The distance between Hong Kong International Airport and the farthest point which is Hong Kong Station is about 36 kilometers, which you can cover in a span of 25 minutes. 

In contrast, it would be impossible to land in NAIA and travel 36 kilometers for just 25 minutes. To Quezon City via Skyway for instance, that would be 30 kilometers and the shortest travel time by car would be roughly 54 minutes. 

So imagine if there’s an airport express which passengers could take. It would surely be a faster and better ride. 

Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul also have fast and efficient train services going to and from their major international airports. Tokyo has the Narita Express while South Korea’s Incheon International Airport has its Airport Railroad Express.

Singapore’s Changi has an efficient MRT system which provides connections to just about every part of the island. 

RSA, the energetic and innovative tycoon that he is, was all smiles during Monday’s signing. He is visibly excited to upgrade our gateway and the excitement is almost tangible. 

I hope that indeed, we will soon have a more efficient and connected NAIA and even better, I hope that one day, we will be able to get to any of the three gateways such as NAIA, Clark or Bulacan via efficient and high-speed trains.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen (Iris Gonzales) on Facebook.