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The Department of Transportation is eyeing to fast track completion of the Metro Manila Subway Project while working on challenges such as right-of-way acquisition
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Newly appointed Transport Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon said he asked his team to confirm next week if a portion of the 33-kilometer rail line can be operated by 2028
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing to fast track completion of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) while working on challenges such as right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, according to newly-appointed Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon.
In a recent media briefing, Dizon said he cannot yet provide specific completion timelines but has “asked the team to… look at possible changes to the timeliness so we can finish this [MMSP] sooner.”
As to partial operability, Dizon said he asked his team to provide a firm answer next week if a portion of the 33-kilometer rail line can be operated by 2028.
“Right now, hindi pa sila makapagbigay (they can’t give a timeline) dahil nga ang daming (because of the many) delays caused by many things over the past several years. So we just have to solve them and then address the current concerns, especially in right-of-way,” Dizon said.
DOTr earlier said that as of December 2024, MMSP’s overall construction progress is at 18.24%. The project was initially eyed for completion before the end of the current administration, but DOTr undersecretary for railways Jeremy Regino last January said the department is aiming partial operations covering the Valenzuela to Ortigas stations by the end of 2029, with full operations targeted in 2030 to 2031.
The project is, however, facing issues on ROW.
“I understand the concerns and the worries of the owners of those houses, but this subway plan cannot be stopped. This is going to go through and we are committed to finishing this project,” Dizon said.
Last year, Administrative Order No. 19 was issued establishing an inter-agency committee for ROW activities for national railway projects to streamline the land acquisition process necessary for the implementation of railway projects across the country. The Supreme Court last year has also designated additional regional trial courts as special expropriation courts to help expedite the resolution of cases involving national railway projects, such as the MMSP and Mindanao Railway.
The first underground railway in the country, the MMSP is a 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.
