PHILIPPINES: Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Japan International Cooperation Agency Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto signed a ¥150bn loan agreement on March 26 for the third tranche of financing for Phase 1 of the Metro Manila Subway Project.
MMSP Phase 1 is being supported by two previous loan agreements with JICA: the first worth ¥104·5bn was signed in March 2018, and the second for ¥253·3m was finalised in February 2022. The total cost of the first phase of MMSP is 488·5bn pesos.
The first 7·3 km section of the metro line was 40% complete as of March 7 and is expected to open in 2029. This will link Quirino Highway in Quezon City and the emerging ‘Common Station’ hub, which is currently under construction near the North Avenue terminus of the MRT3 light metro line.
Also known as MRT9, MMSP will be the first fully-underground, automated metro in the Filipino capital. It is being developed under the government’s Build Better More programme.
While not sharing a common alignment, MMSP will run broadly parallel to MRT3, from Quezon through the city centre in a broad southwesterly arc. Between Nichols/Senate and FTI, MMSP will meet the north-south commuter rail corridor now being redeveloped under another scheme; here, a junction will permit through running between MMSP and the 1 435 mm gauge North-South Commuter Rail Line. The MMSP route will then continue southwestwards to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
MMSP will serve 33 route-km of new alignment and 17 stations. It will have a capacity of 519 000 passengers/day. Future plans include an extension to Asia World, adding two more stations over 3 km.
MRT9 services are to be operated by 30 eight-car Sustina EMUs being supplied by Sumitomo Corp and J-TREC.
- A second tunnel boring machine for MMSP arrived at Camp Aguinaldo Station on March 20. It will be used for the construction of tunnels connecting Camp Aguinaldo and Ortigas. A first TBM began boring on the route in January 2023.
