Plans for a subway line in Metro Manila have been in talks for so long that it reached our previous Presidential administration and has even gone through a name change or two. After around 5 years of preparations and negotiations, the project broke ground on construction last February 27, 2019. It is expected to be fully completed by 2025 with 3 stations partially operational by 2022.
According to the Department of Transportation, the project is expected to stretch across 36 kilometers through 7 cities with 14-16 stations in total. It is said to be one of the most expansive railway projects in the Philippines. The line is supposed to connect Mindanao Avenue to FTI, with a branch line connecting to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
An old graphic from CNN shows the route proposed in 2017. At the time, the stations included Mindanao Avenue, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, and Katipunan in Quezon City; Ortigas North and Ortigas South in Pasig City; Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City; Bonifacio Global City, Cayetano Boulevard, and Food Terminal Incorporated in Taguig; and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.
(Could the MRT and LRT lines be extending their operation hours?)
It has since been announced that there is to be an addition of at least 1 more station but the DOTr has not yet released the final plans for stations. The project is estimated to cost Php 356.96 billion. P259.6 billion of it will be funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) while the rest will depend on budgetary allocations and private funding.
What do you think about the proposed route?
