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Construction of the first two stations of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) – Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard – kicked off today, October 3, with the ground-breaking for the project
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The P20.46 billion project is part of seven civil works contracts of the MMSP and involves construction of the Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations and tunnels with a total 3.4 km length
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DOTr said it targets partial operations to start in 2025, while the whole project is set to be completed in 2028
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) broke ground on October 3 for the construction of the first two stations – Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard – of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
The P20.462-billion Contract Package 104 (CP104) is part of the seven civil work contracts of the MMSP and covers the construction of the Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard Stations and tunnels with a total route length of 3.397 kilometers.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement that the project, which he called the “crown jewel” of mass transit system in the country, is expected to provide a comfortable, convenient, safe, and affordable transportation to commuters when completed.
The project will also generate more than 18,000 jobs during its construction.
Bautista added that DOTr is committed to completing the project at full speed as the agency “owes it to the commuting public.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony, said: “With the improved linkages of key areas and business districts in the Metro as well as the availability of stalls and other stores in the stations and nearby markets, we can see more business opportunities to entrepreneurs, investors and additional economic activity.”
In May this year, Megawide Construction Corp. and its joint venture partners from Japan – Tokyu Construction and Tobishima Corp. – signed the contract for the construction of CP104.
To give way to the construction, DOTr has closed the north and southbound portions of Meralco Avenue in Pasig City from October 3 to 2028.
The MMSP will be the first underground mass transit system in the Philippines and will be a modern railway system that will be at par with railways in the rest of the world, DOTr said.
Funded by the Japanese government, the subway is a 33-kilometer rail line that will stretch from Valenzuela City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City. The subway will reduce travel time between Quezon City and NAIA to just 35 minutes from 1 hour and 10 minutes. The MMSP will have 17 stations.
Once operational, the underground mass transit system will cut across eight cities in Metro Manila, passing beneath three central business districts, and service as many as 519,000 passengers daily. The MMSP will also interconnect with other rail systems in Metro Manila
DOTr said it targets partial operations of the subway to start in 2025 while the whole project is set to be completed in 2028.
Bautista said the total project cost is pegged at P488.47 billion to be sourced through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
On February 10 this year, the Philippines and Japan signed a ¥253.3 billion (P112.9 billion) loan agreement for the second tranche of funding for the construction of MMSP Phase 1. The first tranche worth ¥104.53 billion (about P47.58 billion or US$933.73 million) was signed in March 2018.
