Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited on Saturday, Nov. 4, the ongoing construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), a mega railway system funded by his government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista showed Kishida the launching shaft of the subway's tunnel boring machine (TBM) in its depot in Valenzuela City.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is accompied by Transportation Sec. Jaime Bautista and other officials during the visit at the Metro Manila Subway Project depot in Valenzuela City, Nov. 4, 2023. (Mark Balmores)
"The subway will improve the mobility of passengers and inter-city connectivity," Bautista told Kishida while emphasizing its big help in upgrading the country's transport sector to global standards and improve connectivity and mobility throughout Metro Manila.
The subway project is one of the Japan-funded flagship projects through the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan.
Construction is ongoing for the 33-kilometer, 17-station subway that will stretch from Valenzuela City to Paranaque City, with a spur line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
Once completed, the underground rail system is expected to reduce travel time between Valenzuela City and Pasay City from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes and service over 500,000 passengers daily.