THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) is targeting to complete the acquisition of right of way (RoW) for the Metro Manila Subway project by the first quarter of 2026.
Transportation Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said last week that the DoTr is now expediting the project by addressing RoW issues, which is estimated at 59.12% to date.
The DoTr said in a message to BusinessWorld, that it is hoping to acquire up to 80% of the needed RoW by end of 2025, with the remainder completed by the first quarter.
The DoTr is also hoping to award the three remaining contract packages of the Metro Manila Subway project within the year. The remaining contract packages are valued at between P10 billion and P15 billion each.
Contract package (CP) 105 covers the construction of the station in Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City; CP 108 covers the Lawton and Senate-DepEd stations; and CP 109 is the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 station.
The DoTr has said that it is now expecting subway operations by 2032. It had initially targeted partial operations by 2030.
Nigel Paul C. Villarete, senior advisor at technical advisory group Libra Konsult, Inc., said the DoTr must set a realistic target, given the many obstacles in the way of completion.
“We do not have a good record of meeting deadlines as far as RoW acquisition is concerned… It is a better idea to set realistic timelines for project implementation, considering past performance levels, and attempt to drastically improve them and finish projects ahead of schedule, rather than promise a very early timeline which may be repeatedly delayed,” Mr. Villarete said via Viber.
Rene S. Santiago, former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines, said: “2032 is a big aspiration, devoutly to be wished but iffy.”
The subway will ultimately link Valenzuela City to Parañaque City, with a spur line connecting to NAIA.
The subway is 33 kilometers long with 17 stations. The goal is to cut travel time between Quezon City and NAIA to 35 minutes from over an hour currently. It is expected to accommodate up to 370,000 passengers daily. — Ashley Erika O. Jose