Marcos marks Quezon Avenue tunnel breakthrough for Metro Manila subway

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called the breakthrough of a tunnel boring machine at the Quezon Avenue station in Quezon City as an important milestone in the construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).

During his inspection on Wednesday, Marcos said the tunnel boring machine has completed excavation of the section from the southbound portion of North Avenue station to Quezon Avenue station, covering about 1.1 kilometers at a depth of 34 meters below ground.

Tunnel boring operations are continuing from Quezon Avenue station toward East Avenue station, spanning 1.5 km.

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“Little by little, we can see that our subway project is gradually taking shape. We can see it coming together,” he told reporters.

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“Once this is completed, the people living here will be very fortunate because they will have a subway; they will have the MRT (Metro Rail Transit). They will have many ways to get around the metro,” Marcos said.

The two underground stations and their connecting tunnels are part of MMSP’s Contract Package 102 (CP102), awarded to the joint venture of Japanese firm Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd. and local construction company D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) in 2022.

READ: Marcos: Work progress on Metro Manila subway at 60%

The original contract cost was P21.203 billion. A supplemental agreement worth P4.336 billion brought the total contract amount to P25.539 billion, exclusive of value-added tax.

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Construction works of the Quezon Avenue and East Avenue stations of the MMSP began on May 10, 2023.

President Marcos last week led the groundbreaking ceremony of the MMSP’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 station in Pasay City, where he touted the subway project to be 60 percent completed.

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The P488.48-billion MMSP, financed through loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), is part of ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s railway system, improve connectivity across Metro Manila, and cut travel time for commuters.

READ: JV Ejercito: No more delays in NSCR, Metro Manila subway

The government aims to complete the construction of the 33-kilometer, 17-station underground railway system by the last quarter of 2031.

It will stretch from East Valenzuela to Bicutan in Taguig, providing a faster and more reliable mass transportation option across the capital region.

Once fully operational, the subway is expected to cut travel time from Valenzuela City to Naia from about 1.5 hours to 41 minutes.

However, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said full operations are slated for early 2032, pending the necessary testing and commissioning requirements.

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The MMSP was initially expected to be completed in 2027, but was reset to 2029, and then 2032 due to right-of-way issues. /jpv