Philippines starts building 1st underground railway system in Manila
2019-03-01 09:29:09The Metro Manila subway will also be the first-ever underground railway system in the Philippines. It is so far the biggest single project under the "Build, Build, Build" program of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The first phase, covering the "central zone," involves the construction of about 30 km of underground railway with 14 stations with the possible extension of one to two more stations being planned by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.
The subway spans seven cities and municipalities and three business districts of Metro Manila, and it will connect to the existing MRT-3, the LRT-2 and the Philippine National Railway lines, according to the DOTr.
The DOTr added that the subway will leverage on Japanese technology to make the structure flood and earthquake-proof.
The first tranche of the loan agreement for this project amounts 104.53 billion yen (about 940 million U.S. dollars), according to the Department of Finance (DOF).
"Once it becomes serviceable, and with a speed of 80 kph, the riding public can travel from Quezon City to NAIA Terminal 3 in 30 minutes," Duterte's spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
Panelo said Duterte's office "will be monitoring the progress of this project and commits its all-out support to the DOTr and all agencies involved as they endeavor to deliver this facility to our countrymen."
"We also ask the public to remain patient as it is us who will greatly benefit from gains of this major infrastructure project in the near future," Panelo added.
The Philippines is one of Asia's most dynamic countries to date, with its gross domestic product (GDP) average at 6 percent for the past years. However, it faces challenges like rapid urbanization and lack of efficient transport systems, especially in Metro Manila. Enditem