DOTr to award all subway contracts this year

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to award all the remaining contract packages (CP) of the Metro Manila Subway project this year as the agency eyes its completion by 2028.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, in a recent interview with the reporters, said that about seven or eight contracts were set to be inked next year.

“We’ll start the operations of the tunnel boring machine by the first week of January. Most probably Jan. 9,” he added.

In November, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez told the Inquirer that contract CP 105, 108 and 109 are eyed to be signed by within the second and third quarter of 2023.

CP 105 includes the construction of two underground stations, Kalayaan and Bonifacio Global City terminals, and tunnel works. CP 108 covers the build for Lawton and Senate-Department of Education stations and tunnel works. CP 109, meanwhile, is for the construction of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal three station and tunnel works.

CP 102 (Quezon Avenue and East Avenue stations) was awarded to the joint venture of Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd. and D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI).

DMCI recently expressed interest in submitting bids for three subway contracts. It declined, however, to disclose which packages they were looking at due to a nondisclosure agreement.

Meanwhile, Sumitomo Mitsui Company Ltd. bagged CP 103, which is for the construction of Anonas and Camp Aguinaldo stations.

Megawide Construction Corp., Tokyu Construction Co., Ltd. and Tobishima Corp. secured the CP 104, which includes the construction of Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard stations.

A groundbreaking ceremony for CP 104 was held in October. As such, Meralco Avenue in Ortigas, Pasig City, would be closed until 2028 to make way for the civil works.

Megawide previously said they were aiming to start building the two underground stations by the first quarter of next year.

The subway, which is designed to have 17 stations, will connect Valenzuela City to Pasay City. It is expected to service over 519,000 passengers daily once operational.

The subway is seen to reduce travel time between Quezon City and Naia in Pasay City to just 35 minutes from one hour and 10 minutes at present.

The idea of building a Metro Manila subway was first proposed in 1973 under the Urban Transport Study in the Manila Metropolitan Area. INQ