Gov’t revives plan to put up subway in M. Manila

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) under President Duterte is reviving plans for a Metro Manila subway which will form part of a long-term public transportation network to fight the worsening road congestion.

Noel Kintanar, DOTr undersecretary for rails and toll roads, revealed the plan as he supported private sector participation in helping build key infrastructure, including railway lines,  in the capital district and key areas, including Cebu and Davao.

The subway line, previously described under the Public Private Partnership program as the Makati-Pasay-Taguig Mass Transit System Loop, aimed to connect major business districts in Metro Manila via a 12-kilometer underground train.

The project was estimated to cost P374.5 billion, meaning it would have been the largest PPP if it was implemented. It was, however, shelved by the Aquino administration due to its massive cost and questions over right of way for overhead stations in the Bonifacio Global City stretch, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

Kintanar, who spoke to reporters at the sidelines of a transport forum organized by ANC, said the project was back on the table “only because there’s demand.”

He said this was part of a broader goal to implement a comprehensive transport master plan. He said the main objective was to give people a choice  in terms of taking public transportation like trains or buses, drive cars or even walk.

“Walking should be a real option,” he said. “Once this network comes into play, then I think the dependency of the urban population on cars will reduce and only then will we begin to enjoy a reduction in congestion.”

Kintar said that apart from the subway line, the department was reviewing earlier assumptions on new train lines including the Light Rail Transit Line 4 ( Taytay-Ortigas) to LRT-6 (Niyog, Bacoor-Dasmariñas City both in Cavite).

He said this was to ensure their “bankability to the private sector.”

Also part of the review was the existing LRT-2, whose operations and maintenance PPP deal was up for bid submission but was left hanging by the previous administration.

Kintanar said the department wanted to expand the scope of the LRT-2 PPP to include the expansion of the line, the rehabilitation of the coaches and station facilities, including escalators and elevators.

“What we want to achieve is to get the process going regardless of whatever happens in the next administration. It’s important the projects are off the ground,” he added.

Metro Manila is currently served by three elevated train lines, handling more than 1 million people per day. The newest of these is the LRT-2, which opened in 2003.

The oldest is the LRT-1, which opened in the 1970s, and is currently the only privately operated line. The PPP deal to expand and operate the line was won by the  Ayala Corp.-Metro Pacific Investments Corp. joint venture in 2014.