MANILA: Groundwork for the Philippines’ first subway system began on Saturday at a site in Manila that will host its depot and related facilities.
“If we have this subway, the movement of people and cargo will speed up and improve,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said at a ceremony marking the start in Quezon City.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said earthwork activities were able to begin following the acquisition of land and clearing of squatters.
The Metro Manila Subway Project is set to begin partial operations with three stations by 2022, with operations of the entire 15-station line slated to start by 2025.
Funded by a US$935-million loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan’s aid agency, the first phase includes the three stations in Quezon City and a subway depot and the Philippine Railway Institute, both located in one compound in neighbouring Valenzuela City.
The line will pass through the capital’s main business districts, interconnect with existing above-ground railways, and end at one of the main airport terminals. Travel time from the first to the last station is projected to take 31 minutes.
Speaking at Saturday’s event, Kiyo Kawabuchi, a representative of the Manila office of JICA, acknowledged that many commuters in Metro Manila “are experiencing mobility issues, which have negatively affected peoples’ daily lives”.