Construction of Makati City subway system to start in December

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 Makati City government and a private consortium are set to break ground in December a $3.7-billion intra-city subway project that will help decongest traffic in one of Metro Manila’s main business and financial districts.

The subway, expected to accommodate 700,000 passengers daily, will link the key public and business spots of the City, Makati Mayor Abby Binay said.

The subway line will connect business districts along Ayala Avenue, Makati City Hall, Poblacion Heritage Site, University of Makati, Ospital ng Makati, and other business zones in the city, Binay noted.

The target completion date for the subway system will be in 2025, the mayor said.

She assured that the construction of the subway system will not impede road operations as it will be conducted underground.

She pointed out that the project is an unsolicited public-private partnership proposal between a consortium led by IRC Properties, Inc. and the city government.

She stressed that the local government will not spend anything on the multibillion-dollar project and will only contribute the land it currently owns for the subway system.

“The city of Makati will be a beneficiary of a project which is a 10-kilometer subway system that has 10 stops (stations) that will connect the central business district all the way to the second business district, iko-connect niya ‘yung Ospital ng Makati. That’s for Phase 1,” Binay told reporters at the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

“May phasing sila, pero as far as phase 1 is concerned, it is a 10-kilometer subway system,” she added.

The project has been opened to a “Swiss Challenge,” or a comparative bidding process, until September 24.   /vvp