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The Department of Transportation officially marked the beginning of tunneling works for Contract Package 103 of the Metro Manila Subway Project with the launch of a tunnel boring machine at the project’s Camp Aguinaldo Station in Quezon City
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CP 103 covers a length of 6.516 kilometers and includes the construction of two underground stations and tunnels — Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations
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The TBM launched at Camp Aguinaldo Station is one of the four TBMs to be utilized for CP 103
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) officially marked the beginning of tunneling works for Contract Package (CP) 103 of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) with the launch of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) at the project’s Camp Aguinaldo Station in Quezon City.
CP 103 covers a length of 6.516 kilometers and includes the construction of two underground stations and tunnels — Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations.
The TBM launched at Camp Aguinaldo Station on January 16 is one of the four TBMs to be utilized for CP 103. It is also the fifth TBM launched for the project.
The four other TBMs are already operating for the project’s Contract Package 101, composed of four stations in the north: Quirino Highway Station, Tandang Sora Station, North Avenue Station, and East Valenzuela Station.
Transportation undersecretary for railways Jeremy Regino in a statement said more TBMs will be added for the project, expecting 19 TBMs to be operating in the coming years to expedite construction of the country’s first underground rail system.
He added that despite a limited operating budget for 2025, DOTr will go “full blast” in constructing railway projects to help alleviate traffic in Metro Manila and adjacent areas.
The transport executive said the agency will address various issues that may hamper the construction of various big-ticket projects, such as right-of-way, to fast-track construction.
As of December 2024, DOTr said MMSP’s overall construction progress is at 18.24%.
The first underground railway in the country, the MMSP is a 33 km 17-station rail line that will cut travel time from Valenzuela City to Pasay City from one hour and 38 minutes to just 45 minutes, while servicing over half a million passengers daily.
Total project cost for the first phase is pegged at P488.47 billion to be sourced through loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In March 2018, JICA signed the first tranche of the loan worth JPY104.53 billion (about P47.58 billion or $933.73 million) for the construction of the MMSP Phase 1. The second tranche worth JPY253.3 billion (P112.9 billion) was signed in February 2022, while the third was inked in March last year worth JPY150 billion (about P55 billion).
READ: 6 boring machines for MM subway project operational by yearend
