Underground work for Metro Manila subway to start in Q4

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — The excavation work that will pave the way for the construction of the country's first subway line will begin later this year, a transportation official said on Tuesday.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said two of the 25 tunnel boring machines needed for the Metro Manila Subway Project have arrived in the country. He added that the first phase of the venture, which includes stations in East Valenzuela, Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora Avenue and North Avenue, may be completed by 2023 or 2024.

"We are expecting to start excavation by the 4th quarter of this year and that is going to start from our depot in Valenzuela heading southwards into Tandang Sora and eventually into North Avenue," Batan told CNN Philippines' Traffic Center.

After the groundbreaking ceremony in February 2019, site clearing operations, detailed engineering designs and other preparations were conducted. Batan said the Philippine Railway Institute that will train railway personnel can start operating in 2022. The entire 34-kilometer line with 17 stations is expected to be completed by 2025 or 2026.

Batan reiterated that the underground construction work in the mega-project will have minimal impact on road traffic.

"During construction, there will be some disruption," he said. "There will be some traffic control measures that will be installed, but that's it."

The undersecretary added that the subway will also connect to the North-South Commuter Railway, which could bring passengers to as far as Laguna province.

"They will be physically interconnected," explained Batan. "Meaning, trains coming from underground in the subway will start emerging between FTI and Bicutan stations and can bring passengers all the way to the Calamba station of the North-South Commuter Rail."

The subway project has a ₱356.97-billion price tag and is supported by the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan.