The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday, Feb. 13, broke ground for the Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo underground stations of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
The stations are covered under Contract Package 103 (CP103), the Civil Works – Build Only Contract of the project, which includes tunnels stretching over a 6.604 kilometer route connecting Quezon City and Pasig City.
“The socio-economic benefits of the MMSP exceeds our expectations,” says DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, describing the as "an infrastructure that catalyzes economic rebound” and "a global-standard transport system”.
Secretary Bautista likewise expressed his gratitude to the Japanese government and Department of National Defense (DND) for supporting the country’s first-ever underground railway.
“This groundbreaking inside a military camp depicts the overlapping multi-sectoral support for the MMSP," he added.
Billed as the Philippines’ mass transit “Crown Jewel”, the Japan-funded Metro Manila Subway will cut across eight cities, from Valenzuela City to FTI-Bicutan in Parañaque City with a spur line to NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
With a total of 33-kilometer route length and 17 stations, the country’s first underground railway system will cut travel time between Quezon City and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City to 45 minutes.
Once operational, the railway system can service up to 519,000 passengers daily.