Metro Manila Subway

The Metro Manila Subway is an under-construction underground rapid transit line in Metro Manila, Philippines. The 33-kilometer (21 mi) line, which will run north–south between Valenzuela, Quezon City, Pasig, Taguig, Parañaque and Pasay, consists of 17 stations between the East Valenzuela and Bicutan stations. It will become the country's second direct airport rail link after the North–South Commuter Railway, with a branch line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Dubbed as the country's "Project of the Century", the Metro Manila Subway broke ground on February 27, 2019, and construction began the following December. Subsequently, suffering delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the line was scheduled to fully open in 2029. The project is expected to cost ₱355.6 billion (equivalent to US$7.06 billion in 2017 dollars). Much of its cost is covered by a loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). However, it is unlikely to be completed during Bongbong Marcos' administration due to right of way problems; partial operations are expected to begin in 2032.
The Metro Manila Subway is planned to be integrated with the public transit system in Metro Manila. Passengers may take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses and jeepneys, to and from a station to reach their intended destination. The line is designed to connect with other urban rail transit services in the region; riders may transfer to LRT Line 1, MRT Line 3, and MRT Line 7 at the nearby North Triangle Common Station, which is also currently under construction. Other connections include the existing LRT Line 2 and PNR Metro Commuter Line, as well as the planned Makati Intra-city Subway, the MRT Line 4, and MRT Line 8.
The line is projected to serve 370,000 passengers per day in the short term with longer term growth leading to a projected 1.5 million passengers of daily ridership.
The idea of building a subway in the Greater Manila Area had been forwarded as early as 1973, when the JICA (at the time known as the Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency or OTCA) and former Secretary of Public Works and Highways David Consunji conducted a study on what shall later be Metro Manila (formally constituted on November 7, 1975). The 1973 plan was known as the Urban Transport Study in Manila Metropolitan Area (UTSMMA).
The 1973 plan provided for the construction of five heavy rail subway lines in Metro Manila. The first line (Line 1) would have a length of 27.1 kilometers (16.8 mi), running from Constitution Hills (now Batasan Hills), Quezon City to Talon, Las Piñas. The second line (Line 2), meanwhile, would be 36 kilometers (22 mi) long from Novaliches, Quezon City to Cainta, Rizal, while Line 3 for 24.3 kilometers (15.1 mi) throughout Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. The fourth line (Line 4) would have been 30.1 kilometers (18.7 mi) long from Marikina to Zapote, Bacoor, and the fifth line would have a length of 17.6 kilometers (10.9 mi) from Rizal Avenue, Manila to Meycauayan, Bulacan. The plan would have resolved the traffic problems of Metro Manila and would have taken 15 years to complete, or until 1988.
In 1975, a Reuters report said Manila was having traffic problems as many people feared that the population would grow, the number of commuters would increase, and there would be one day with only people on the streets with no vehicles. Also, it says that the team from JICA is studying the project that recommended the subway system and was expected to cost about US$930 million.
In 1976, JICA conducted a feasibility study of the line, known as Rapid Transit Railway (RTR) Line 1. The study proposed a tentative route from Manila International Airport (MIA), now Ninoy Aquino International Airport, to the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, totaling 25.2 kilometers (15.7 mi). With the planned completion dates between 1983 and 2000 for that line with four stages, the other lines would have been constructed as part of the RTR network: Line 2 would connect Novaliches in Quezon City to Guadalupe, Makati; Line 3 would connect Malabon to Roxas Boulevard in Pasay; Line 4 would connect Baclaran in Parañaque to Cubao in Quezon City; and Line 5 would connect Binondo to Marulas in Valenzuela. Also, Pacific Consultants International and the Japan Overseas Consultants participated as a study team. According to some critics of the LRT Line 1 that was built instead of the RTR Line 1, Marcos decided against the subway after being convinced by his advisers that the line could not be completed before Singapore finished its own first line.
It was also proposed to be part of the 1977 Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project (MMETROPLAN), which was funded by the World Bank. However, the plan was not included and implemented, for some of the areas included in the plan, such as Marikina and Cainta, are prone to flooding. Instead, what was built was the LRT Line 1, opened on December 1, 1984, and completed on May 12, 1985. According to Felino Palafox, the LRT was the most feasible transport system at that time. Nevertheless, the current Manila Light Rail Transit System (mostly elevated) is shorter than the line system forwarded in 1973.
In 1995, the Mexican firm Grupo ICA, which also experienced Mexico City Metro, was in talks with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to build a subway in the Philippines. In 1998, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC, later DOTr) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with JK International Ltd. to conduct a feasibility study of a subway project; a route would have been linked between Port of Manila and NAIA. In 2001, Italian firms Grandi Lavori Fincosit and Societa Esecuzione Lavori Idraulici signed an agreement with the DOTC, for a MOU. The 10-kilometer-long (6.2 mi) tunnel section of the subway would connect Bonifacio Global City (BGC), going through EDSA and connecting the Ortigas, Greenhills, and Shaw Boulevard commercial centers. However, when former President Joseph Estrada resigned from office in the same year, the project never materialized.
The project was proposed once more in the 2014 Metro Manila Dream Plan as a 57.7-kilometer (35.9 mi) line that would serve as the second north–south mass transit backbone for the newly expanded Greater Capital Region (the first being the North–South Commuter Railway). The Metro Manila Dream Plan (formally titled the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and Its Surrounding Areas) is an integrated plan, created on the basis of recommendations from a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board in June 2014, to last until 2030. The program aims to improve the transport system in Metro Manila, Philippines, with the hope of turning it into a focal point for addressing Metro Manila's interlinked problems in the areas of transportation, land use, and environment.
In September of that year, British subway contractor Arup presented its profile to the DOTC in case the agency decides to build a subway system in Metro Manila, an official of the Makati Business Club said. Applied Planning & Infrastructure Inc., in association with MKL Associates, proposed a version of the subway plan and conducted a business case as a private initiative for the project known as the Manila Central Subway. They lay out the definite alignment of the first 150 km (93 mi), approximate the next 150 km, and guess the last 82 km (51 mi); the first 150 km are to be further subdivided into workable segments of 30 to 40 km (19 to 25 mi) each. Locate optimal sites for subway stations and determine their basic requirements at least for the first 150 km; hire top-level consultants to prepare detailed engineering designs for the initial 150 km of tubes and various stations, optimal performance standards, environmental impact, economic and social benefits, value for money, and geotechnical and other technical analyses. The proposed lines are: the red line would run from North Triangle Common Station to Mall of Asia, while the extensions would lead to Tutuban and Taft Avenue MRT station; the brown line would connect NLEX in Valenzuela to FTI (using the same alignment as MMS Phase 1), and the extension would lead to Alabang; the blue line express would run along between the two lines; and finally, the green line would connect from Manila Bay to Tikling Junction, while the extensions would lead to Taytay and Holy Spirit, Quezon City.
A year later, JICA published an information collection survey for the project, and the subway was to have 59 kilometers (37 mi) of route from Caloocan to Dasmarinas, Cavite, and the C4 route is the most suitable option. Meanwhile, the first phase is 22.6 kilometers (14.0 mi) from Mindanao Avenue and Quirino Highway in Quezon City to FTI in Taguig; Phase 2 leads to Bagong Silang, Caloocan, 10.2 kilometers (6.3 mi) up north; and Governor's Drive, Dasmarinas, is 26.1 kilometers (16.2 mi). Also, the intermodal terminal building was to be located at Market! Market! in BGC and to cater buses, jeepneys, and taxis at this terminal.
In 2015, the National Economic and Development Authority approved the construction of the Makati-Pasay-Taguig Mass Transit System Loop Line 5 (MTSL Line 5), which would have been a 20-kilometer-long (12 mi) underground railway from BGC to Taft Avenue, as identified in the JICA study, with two options: 32nd Street or 26th Street. Despite the fact that the route is 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) long, it passes through the central business districts. The project was to be funded through the public-private partnership scheme, but after former President Benigno Aquino III stepped down from office, the project stalled and was revived again by his successor, Rodrigo Duterte. In January 2017, JICA was keen on developing a MTSL project, and in the same year, the Metro Manila Subway (then known as the Mega Manila Subway) was launched and included in the administration's Build! Build! Build! program.
In August of that year, JICA published the preparatory survey for the project, which means the alignment would have run 25 kilometers (16 mi) from Quirino Highway to FTI, with the alignment along C-5. The alignment did not have an alignment going to NAIA before it was revised.
The development of the project was approved by the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) board of the National Economic and Development Authority on September 6, subject to secondary approval by the NEDA Board. The development was approved by the NEDA Board headed by President Duterte six days later. On March 16, 2018, the Philippine and Japanese governments signed a loan agreement for the subway. The first tranche of the official development assistance from JICA amounted to ¥104.5 billion (₱51.3 billion). The second tranche of the loan, signed on February 10, 2022, amounted to ¥253.3 billion (₱112.1 billion). On March 26, 2024, the third tranche of the loan was signed, amounting to ¥150 billion (₱55.37 billion).
In June 2018, soil testing was conducted along the alignment. In the same month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) decided that the subway would not pass along the fault line because the West Valley Fault passes along C-5 road in Taguig. The following November, OC Global, a Japanese consortium consisting of Oriental Consultants Global Co. Ltd., Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd., Katahira & Engineers International, Pacific Consultants Co Ltd., Tonichi Engineering Consultants, Inc., and Metro Development Co. Ltd., was appointed as the project consultant.
The Metro Manila Subway broke ground on February 27, 2019. Ten months later, construction begun its clearing phase in Valenzuela on December 21. As part of the initial partial operability section (the Qurino Highway, the Tandang Sora, and the North Avenue stations), the first three stations will be built alongside the Philippine Railways Institute (PRI), the country's first-ever railway training center.
Massive tunnel boring machines were to be employed for the project. In September 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) presented one of the six tunnel boring machines in an acceptance test ceremony through a video conference. The first of 25 tunnel boring machines that will be used for the subway's construction was unveiled on February 5, 2021.
On November 11, 2021, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Camp Aguinaldo to mark the start of pre-construction activities at the Camp Aguinaldo station. Meanwhile, the Ortigas and Shaw stations broke ground on October 3, 2022. Work on the Katipunan and Anonas stations began on February 13, 2023.
The underground and tunnel boring works for the subway were slated to start by the fourth quarter of 2021, but was delayed. The first tunnel boring machine was ceremonially lowered on June 12, 2022, while underground tunnel works began on January 9, 2023.
The line was originally slated to begin partial operations by 2022. However, in April 2022, the DOTr delayed this to 2025, with full operations by 2027, as the COVID-19 pandemic hindered construction. On July 10, 2023, the DOTr scrapped its plan to begin partial operations by 2027, opting instead to fully open the subway by 2029. Challenges related to right of way acquisition have hindered construction progress, with completion as of June 2024 at only 14%. An interagency committee for the two railway projects was established to address issues with the project's alignment. However, during the administration of Bongbong Marcos, it was revealed that these projects, including the subway, were unlikely to be completed by the end of his term in 2028 due to right of way issues, with partial operations anticipated for 2032.
The subway is estimated to be 33 kilometers (21 mi) long. The project involves the construction of 17 stations in its first phase (listed from north to south):
The following phases of the subway project would involve extending lines up to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, north of Metro Manila (15.4 kilometers or 9.6 miles from General Luis Avenue in Caloocan), and down to Dasmariñas, Cavite, south of Metro Manila (20.7 kilometers or 12.9 miles from the proposed Ninoy Aquino International Airport station). The entire system, when completed, will serve up to 1.74 million passengers daily.
The initial plan was later modified in June 2020, with DOTr adding the East Valenzuela, Lawton, and Senate stations. The East Valenzuela station will be located in the subway's depot, while the Lawton and Senate stations replaced the Cayetano Boulevard station. However, these modifications are subject to the approval of NEDA and JICA.
DOTr and JICA also propose a physical connection and interoperability between the North–South Commuter Railway and MMS. It proposes MMS rolling stock to switch over to the at-grade NSCR-South tracks around the FTI area, via a physical connection of the tracks and electrical supply, and operate through services to NSCR-South stations from Bicutan towards Calamba and vice versa.
The line will be the fourth heavy rail line in the country, after LRT Line 2, MRT Line 7, and the North–South Commuter Railway, and the first to be mostly underground. It is designed to run trains at 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). The tunnel diameter inside and outside is projected to be 5.2 meters (17 ft) and 5.65 meters (18.5 ft), respectively. Since there are estimates of an expected magnitude-7.2 earthquake (which can be as powerful as magnitude 7.6) in the Marikina Valley Fault System, it is designed to withstand a magnitude-8.0 earthquake. In addition, it may not be entirely underground. Assessment of the environmental and geographical considerations in the base alignment (initially 74.6 kilometers or 46.4 miles long) recommends 18% of the line to be at-grade and 9% to be running through viaduct. Prior to final approval, some adjustments to the alignment were done so that it would reduce the risk of damage during earthquakes by travelling along solid adobe ground.
On September 5, 2020, in response to questions, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade provided assurances that the system would be flood-proof.
The stations would have design features such as water-stop panels, a high-level entrance for flood prevention, earthquake detection, and a train stop system, akin to the Tokyo subway. Full-height platform screen doors will also be built in the stations.
The line will feature passing loops at some stations to allow express trains to overtake local trains.
Seven of the proposed stations, namely NAIA Terminal 3, Bicutan, Senate, Lawton, Katipunan, Quezon Avenue and North Avenue stations will be built on government property in order to boost property values in the surrounding areas.
The line will use a moving block signalling system based on communications-based train control (CBTC), which is the first railway line in the Philippines to use a moving block/CBTC system. Its subsystems include automatic train protection (ATP), automatic train operation (ATO), automatic train supervision (ATS), train detection through track circuits, and computer-based interlocking. Nippon Signal will provide their SPARCS CBTC signalling solution for the line.
Two types of rails will be employed in the subway: 60-kilogram-per-meter (120 lb/yd) rails will be employed in the mainline while 50-kilogram-per-meter (100 lb/yd) rails will be employed in the depot. The rails in the mainline will consist of continuous welded rails while the rails in the depot will be jointed rails with fishplates. The tracks will be supported by concrete sleepers except for the turnouts which will be supported by plastic/fiber-reinforced foam urethane railroad ties.
The Metro Manila Subway will use Sustina electric multiple units built by the Sumitomo Corporation and Japan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC). The same type has been ordered by the Philippine National Railways for its North–South Commuter Railway project as the PNR EM10000 class. Hitachi, along with Sumitomo and Mitsubishi, bought bid documents for the design, execution, and completion of 30 train sets in February 2020. An order for 240 railcars, arrangeable into thirty 8-car trainsets, has been finalized by the Department of Transportation on December 21.
Trains will have a capacity of 2,242 passengers, which is more than the normal capacity of the rolling stock of the existing LRT Line 1, LRT Line 2, MRT Line 3, and the PNR Metro Commuter Line. At its base form, it is about twice longer than the 4-car trains of the LRTA 2000 class being used in the LRT Line 2. According to DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, each 8-car trainset will ease car traffic in Metro Manila equivalent to 1,300 cars, 220 jeepneys, or 60 buses. It will be powered through 1,500 V DC overhead lines similar to those ordered by PNR.
The line will have a depot in Ugong, Valenzuela, within the vicinity of the East Valenzuela station. It occupies 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of space and serves as the headquarters for the operations and maintenance of the line. The trains are parked on several sets of tracks, which converge onto the spur route and later on to the main network.
A 20,000-square-meter (220,000 sq ft) building will host the Philippine Railways Institute which will also be built within the depot vicinity. In addition, a 900-meter (3,000 ft) test track and mock-ups of the tunnels, stations, and wayside equipment will be constructed for training purposes.
In the 2023 plan, when the government approves the 194 flagship infrastructure projects, the subway's extension will lead to Bulacan and Cavite. The two routes will cover approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi). Also included in the plan is a 4-kilometer (2.5 mi) extension to Asia World, which will connect to the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and its namesake LRT-1 station. The planned extensions are under study and are expected to be financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility.
In February 2023, the DOTr announced a collaboration with JICA to add more subways. At the time, transportation secretary Jaime Bautista said that the subways would be expanded to Cavite, and he also said there would be three to four lines. Although it is in the planning stage, it was announced during the state visit of President Marcos to Japan. In the following year, JICA also said there will be future subways, and this time, they also conducted a study for a 30-year railway master plan for the Greater Capital Region.