Ready by 2021: A Metro Manila Subway Is On The Works!
Despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade is determined to launch the new train line, which will be called the Metro Manila Subway by next year.
“Gusto ko ho mag-partial operability last quarter of next year,” he was quoted in a GMA News report.
Construction is still on track for the first purely underground railway system in the Philippines and as of this writing was reported to be 17.26% complete. This trains is set to open more routes and offer convenience to commuters, including an express trip to Airport!
The plan is to have a span of 36 kilometers from Quirino Highway in Quezon City all the way to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. From the usual one hour and 10 minutes average travel time, it is expected to cut it down at only 45 minutes.
Plans for a Metro Mania Subway system have been in talks since the ’70s. After several proposals and attempts, it kick-started last February 2019. Huge tunnel-boring machines were brought in for the project, the first phase of which is being funded through a P51 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The management is eyeing 15 stations across the Metro, placed strategically in locations such as business districts in Ortigas, Bonifacio Global City, and Makati City.
Metro Manila Subway can carry 370,000 commuters on the daily, with a whopping maximum capacity of up to 1.5 milion. The trains are equipped to go at at speeds of up to 80 kilometers an hour, compared to that of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 which currently runs at just around 30 kilometers per hour.
