Japan-funded Metro Manila Subway gets off the ground

March 18, 2019

The construction of the Japan-funded Metro Manila Subway, the first in the country, finally got underway with ground-breaking ceremonies held last Wednesday. The P356.96-billion peso undergound railway runs from Mindanao avenue in Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. The line will have 15 stations and travel time for the whole stretch is projected at 30 minutes.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade has promised that the three stations, from Mindanao Avenue to North Avenue will be operational by the time President Duterte ends his term in 2022. The subway will be build by a consortium composed of Shimizu Corporation, Fujita Corporation, Takenaka Civil Engineering Company, Ltd. and EEI Corporation.
The subway is one of the major projects under the Build, Build, Build program of the Duterte administration. Japan has also promised to fund 19 infra projects worth P753-billion including the PNR commuter rail project linking Malolos, Bulacan to the Clark Freeport Zone and the PNR south commuter line between Tutuban and Los Banos, Laguna.