After several postponements, the Metro Manila Subway project will break ground on February 27 following the inspection of the tunnel boring machines (TBM) to be used to construct the underground railway system.
“The Metro Manila Subway is the Philippines’ first-ever underground railway system. Before, people cast doubts and said it [was] all but a dream. But, on February 27, we will show them that this is real,” said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, who, together with other Philippine government executives and Japanese officials, went to Japan on February 19 to inspect the TBMs.
Before the latest date, the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Metro Manila Subway Project, a 25-kilometer underground mass transportation system connecting major business districts and government centers, was initially scheduled on December 19, 2018, then moved to mid-January 2019 because some parties were not available over the holidays.
The TBMs are being manufactured by Hitachi Zosen in Sakai City, Japan. Hitachi Zosen’s Sakai Works (HZSW) factory has a track record of 1,300 tunneling machines produced and about 130 tunnels bored overseas so far.
A requisite in building subway systems, a TBM uses a circular cross-section mechanism to excavate tunnels, utilizing sophisticated technology that minimizes the vibration above ground, as well as reduces ground subsidence or surface sinking.
In the process of procurement, the boring machine—6.9 meters in diameter and weighing over 600 tons—has to be assembled in Japan for a test run. After passing the tests, the machine has to be disassembled, and shipped to the Philippines in parts to be reassembled for construction use.
During the inspection, HZSW also showed their Neo RISE technology—a no-engine- power and no-human-operation sea wall that automatically rises to protect any structure from incoming floodwater. The rising sea wall is being considered for installation at the entrances of the Metro Manila subway stations.
The subway project aims to ease traffic congestion, meet fast-rising transport demand, and reduce air pollution in the country’s premier urban center.
The first phase of the Metro Manila subway will be constructed using cutting-edge Japanese tunneling technology and a JPY104.53 billion (about $49.11 billion or US$934.75 million) loan from Japan.
The first phase will stretch from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) area in Taguig City, before continuing to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The project, once completed, is expected to reduce travel time by 31 minutes and serve around 370,000 passengers daily in its initial year.
The Quezon City-Taguig subway will consist of 13 stations, with proposed stops on Mindanao Avenue, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas Street, Katipunan Avenue, Ortigas North, Ortigas South, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Cayetano Boulevard, FTI, and NAIA.
The Department of Transportation, chief implementor of the project, has targeted the partial operation of the subway with the opening of at least three stations—Mindanao-Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora, and North Avenue—by 2022.
The Philippines and Japan, on their sixth meeting on infrastructure and economic cooperation on November 21, have reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that partial operations start by May 2022.
Eventually the subway is envisioned to start from San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and extend all the way to Dasmariñas City, Cavite.
