Gov’t wants subway projects integrated

The construction of the $3.7-billion intra-city subway project in Makati City will begin in December 2018. /PHOTO: Courtesy of Ed Lustan

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has sought talks with the Makati City government to integrate underground train systems as a private sector offer to build a $3.7-billion (P200 billion) Makati subway project emerged.

The Makati subway, proposed by a consortium that includes local builder IRC Properties and China Harbour Engineering Construction Ltd., will be an inner-city system running about 10 kilometers. It is set to begin construction by the end of this year and will be completed by 2025, Mayor Abigail Binay said last month.

It comes amid the DOTr’s own plan to build a P350-billion subway project spanning 35-km from Quezon City through Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and then further to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said last week that they first wanted to meet with the Makati City government to discuss how both subway projects could be integrated for the benefit of commuters.

“There should be a conversation to integrate all systems,” said Tugade, who did not give added details. “We hope to do this talk as soon as possible.”

The DOTr’s subway project, dubbed the Metro Manila subway, will be funded mainly by a loan from the Japanese government.

A groundbreaking ceremony has been set before the end of 2018 with full completion seen by 2025. Moreover, the DOTr had expressed its intention to open the first three stations by 2022.

In a filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange on July 24, IRC Properties said its Makati subway project, structured as a joint venture with the city government, would be bid out under a Swiss challenge process under the City of Makati Public Private Partnership Code.

Rolando G. Tungpalan, undersecretary of the National Economic and Development Authority, explained that joint venture offers with local government units were not covered by the Neda’s guidelines.

Businessman Antonio L. Tiu, president and CEO of IRC, also confirmed that the Makati City government was “coordinating directly with DOTr.”

IRC said its other partners in the consortium were Greenland Holdings, Jiangsu Provincial Construction Group, Kwan On Holdings and MingTu Investment Holdings.

The Makati subway will have up to 10 stations and is expected to have a daily capacity of 700,000 passengers.

For its part, the DOTr is estimating that an initial 370,000 passengers a day would use its subway project.

The Metro Manila subway project’s proposed stations will be located on Mindanao Avenue, Tandang Sora, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Kaptipunan, Ortigas North, Ortigas South, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Cayetano Boulevard, the Food Terminal Inc. complex and Naia in Pasay City. – By: Miguel R. Camus