Construction of Metro Manila Subway Project's Ortigas Station finally starts

After almost two years' delay, construction of the Ortigas Station of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) started Wednesday in Pasig City.

The station is to be put up near Meralco Avenue.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Acting Secretary Giovanni "Banoy" Lopez and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto inspected the site early on Wednesday, according to a report by James Agustin on Unang Balita.

Construction workers were seen demolishing establishments, which are restaurants, on site. 

Heavy equipment were also seen on standby.

The DOTr said construction of the Ortigas Station should have started in October 2023 but was delayed due to right-of-way issue.

Lopez said the station is targeted to be completed in three years, and should be operational in five years.

"Naantala na po ito ng dalawang taon mahigit. October pa yata ng 2022 nabigyan ng NTP. Kaso lang nagka-issue sa mga, of course sa may-ari, then we have to expropriate it," Lopez said.

(This project was delayed for around two years since it was given a Notice to Proceed [NTP] before. But there were issues with the owner, then we had to expropriate it.)

"Napakaimportante po ng istasyon na ito sapagkat ito ay sa, pangalawa yata ito sa pinakamalaking istasyon sa subway natin. At dito rin magsasalubong 'yung tren, subway papuntang Mandaluyong atsaka Ortigas. At dito din sinasabi din nilang may turn pod," he added.

(This station is very important because it is the second biggest subway station. And this is where the subway trains going to Mandaluyong and Ortigas will pass through. And this is also where there will be a turn pod.)

Sotto said he is grateful that the construction of the station has finally started.

"Tuloy na tuloy na ang construction dito. Well first 'yung demolition dito, wala nang mga major roadblocks. So we are very thankful, right. Sabi nga, hindi siya matatapos sa loob ng term natin. Ok lang. Ang importante, nasimulan na at wala ng additional delays pa," Sotto said.

(Construction will now push through. Well first, there is the demolition, and there are no major roadblocks anymore. So we are very thankful, right. They said it would not be finished within our term. That's okay. What's important is it has been started and there would be no more additional delays.)

The DOTr said 95% of right-of-way issues have already been settled.

The MMSP — the country’s very first underground railway system — broke ground in 2019. 

It is envisioned to have a total of 17 stations and a 30.34-hectare depot where the Philippine Railway Institute is located.

The project involves the construction of a 33-kilometer railway line that will connect Valenzuela City to Pasay City, with a spur line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

Last July, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. expressed hope that the Metro Manila Subway Project could be partially operational by 2028. 

Marcos made the remark during the inspection of the Camp Aguinaldo Station of the project.

The MMSP's 17 stations are: Valenzuela where the depot will be located, Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Katipunan (Camp Aguinaldo), Ortigas Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Lawton East, Senate-DepEd, NAIA Terminal 3, FTI, and Bicutan.

The subway project is envisioned to be interconnected with other rail systems: the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and the Metro Rail Transit-Line 7 (MRT-7) through the Common Station; the Light Rail Transit-Line 2 (LRT-2) at the Anonas Station; and a physical run through into the North-South Commuter Railway Extension (NSCR-Ex) at the FTI and Bicutan Stations.

The project currently has an estimated total cost of P488.5 billion, of which P370.7 billion will be financed through an official development assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Meanwhile, P117.7 billion will be covered by the Philippine government. —KG, GMA Integrated News