DOTr: 95% of Subway’s right-of-way resolved by end of 2025

The Department of Transportation is eyeing to secure at least 95% of the right-of-way (ROW) for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project by the end of 2025.

At the sidelines of the DOTr leadership turnover ceremony in San Juan City on Wednesday, Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said, “As of today, 75% [ROW]. for the entire subway, both the subterranean and the stations.”

“Then, based on the chart by right-of-way people, there's a big possibility that we could hit 95% by end of year,” Lopez said.

“And by second quarter of next year, it would be 100% already,” he said.

Last June, then Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said that three out of five major ROW issues hounding the construction of the Metro Manila Subway has been resolved.

Remaining contracts

Lopez added that the DOTr is also targeting to award the remaining civil works contract packages for the subway project by October or November this year.

He said that Contract Packages 105, 108, and 109 —each estimated to cost about P10 billion to P15 billion— are now under contract negotiation stage.

“[So] I think we can award it sometime hopefully October or November...”

The acting DOTr chief said once the contract packages were awarded, the agency and the winning contractor can immediately break ground.

“Once there’s a contract, Notice to Proceed, there's no reason not to groundbreak it,” Lopez said.

CP 105 involves the underground stations in Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City, CP 108 covers Lawton and Senate-DepEd stations, and CP 109 involves the construction of NAIA Terminal 3 station.

On Wednesday morning, the construction of the Ortigas Station of the subway project officially began.

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

Upon completion, the MMSP will 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.

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 MMSP is envisioned to be interconnected with other rail systems: the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1), the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3), and the Metro Rail Transit-Line 7 (MRT7) through the Common Station; the Light Rail Transit-Line 2 (LRT2) 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 loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Meanwhile, P117.7 billion will be covered by the Philippine government.

The Philippine government and JICA have so far signed three tranches of loan agreements—the first tranche amounting to ¥104.53 billion, or P47.58 billion, was signed in March 2018; the second tranche, amounting to ¥253.31 billion, or P112.87 billion, was inked in February 2022; and the third ¥150-billion or P55.37 billion loan deal for the project was signed in March 2024. —AOL, GMA Integrated News