Consortium proposes rail line connecting NAIA to LRT1, Mega Manila Subway

The NAIA Consortium on Wednesday announced plans to establish a rail line connecting all existing terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), and eventually be the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) and the planned Mega Manila Subway.

Initially called the “people mover,” the project is a 3-kilometer commuter rail system connecting Terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the NAIA.

“It will connect you from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, and then underground to Terminal 3,” Jimbo Reverente, spokesperson for the consortium, said in a press conference in Makati City.

Reverente said the commuter line will connect to the LRT1 and the planned Mega Manila Subway.

“Not only will the expanded NAIA be connected by that people mover, the planned Mega Manila Subway will also connect to the Terminal 3 area,” he said.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno has said the construction of Mega Manila Subway is expected to begin in the third quarter this year.

Just last week, the Philippine government signed a ¥104.53-billion loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the rail system.

“Combine the 3-kilometer people mover plus an additional 2 kilometers to LRT1 that’s a total of 5 kilometers,” Reverente said.

“The NAIA complex will be accessible via both the Mega Manila Subway and LRT1, so two mass transit lines,” he said.

The consortium counts as members Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Alliance Global Group Inc., Ayala Corporation, Filinvest Development Corporation, JG Summit Holdings Inc., LT Group Inc., and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

It submitted its unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate NAIA with a price tag of P350 billion in February

It tapped the operator of Singapore’s Changi airport as partner in the technical aspects of the project. —VDS, GMA News