Metro Manila Subway

Fernandez, Sophia Anne C.
October 7, 2019
11832789 COBCSRG
Something News
On October 3rd, a fire broke out between LRT-2's Katipunan and Anonas
stations. Based on the investigation, the flames were caused by tripped off power
supply transformers. The electrical fire forced LRT-2 to cease operations due to the
severely damaged railway tracks. Days after the incident, Light Rail Transit Authority
(LRTA) announced that train operations from Santolan to Anonas stations are
suspended for nine months. With an estimated daily ridership of over 200,000
passengers, commuters have no choice but to find other means of transport (CNN
Philippines, 2019). The country’s railway transit had encountered a lot of problems over
the previous months. From technical glitches to trains crashing into each other, both the
LRT and MRT seemed to have lost their convenience and reliability. Given that over 25
million Filipinos regularly use the Metro Manila rail transit (Philippine Statistics Authority,
2019), this might develop into a citywide crisis. With the country’s unreliable public
transport and heavy traffic, commuters would have a hard time adjusting to the
situation. Even with the government’s provision of buses and PUVs as an alternative,
they still could not accommodate all those affected by the incident. What the country
needs is a better management structure for public transport (Dalay, 2019). It is time to
align the “Build, Build, Build” policy with what the people need. With that in mind, the
proposed Metro Manila subway project comes into the picture.
Figure 1. Proposed Mega Manila Subway station (source: DOST)

The Mega Manila Subway is a project funded by the Japan International
Cooperation Agency. The initial design of the subway has 13 stations which are located
in Mindanao Avenue, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Katipunan,
Ortigas North, Ortigas South, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Cayetano
Boulevard, Food Terminal Incorporated and in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(Tan, 2017). The subway will connect to other railway systems in Metro Manila such as
the existing MRT-3, LRT-1, LRT-2, PNR, and the upcoming MRT-7 and Makati subway.
The estimated cost of this project is around Php 355 billion which would be loaned from
Japan Official Development Assistance. Although it is designed to serve up to 1.5 million
passengers daily, the subway will only accommodate 370,000 passengers once it is
fully operational in the year 2025. With a speed of 80 kph, trips from Quezon City to
Taguig would only take half an hour. Thanks to Japanese technology, the subway has
both flood prevention and earthquakes protection engineering (CNN Philippines, 2019).
Although the construction of the subway would have an impact on traffic,

disruptions would only take place where the stations are located (Batan, 2019). With the
addition of a new transport system, existing rail transits would become less congested.
The subway could even encourage private car owners to use public transport seeing
that it is more convenient and time-saving. This innovation would help achieve the
global goal of efficient urban planning (SDG #9) through technological progress,
promoting both environmental and economic development (SDG #11). Moreover, this
project would strengthen the country’s ties with other countries, specifically Japan (SDG
#17). This partnership could further blossom into greater ventures for our country.
Word count: 520 words

References
Cabico, G. (2019, October 4). Temporary LRT-2 shutdown after fire highlights need for
structural change, better inspections. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/
headlines/2019/10/04/1957421/temporary-lrt-2-shutdown-after-fire-highlights-
need-structural-change-better-inspections
CNN Philippines. (2017, September 14). Metro Manila subway project gets greenlight.
Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/transportation/2017/9/14/Metro-Manila-
subway.html
CNN Philippines. (2019, February 22). Metro Manila subway set to break ground on
February 27. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/transportation/2019/2/22/
Metro-Manila-subway-set-to-break-ground-on-February-27-.html
CNN Philippines. (2019, February 28). Construction begins on PH's first subway line.
Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/2/27/metro-manila-subway-
project-construction-dotr.html
CNN Philippines. (2019, October 4). LRT-2 operations from Anonas to Santolan to be
suspended for nine months. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/
2019/10/4/LRT-2-operations-suspended-electrical-fire.html
Tan, L. (2017, April 19). 'Ambitious' Metro Manila subway to be built by 2024 ? DOTr.
Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/4/19/Metro-Manila-subway-
Mega-Manila-Subway-project-Duterte.html
Philippine Statistics Authority. (2019). National quickstat. Retrieved from https://

psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/attachments/ird/quickstat/National%20QS%20-
%20September%202019f.xls
United Nations. (2018, May 17). About the sustainable development goals. Retrieved
from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

Metro Manila Subway

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Metro Manila Subway

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Metro Manila Subway

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Fernandez, Sophia Anne C.

Figure 1. Proposed Mega Manila Subway station (source: DOST)

Although the construction of the subway would have an impact on traffic,

Word count: 520 words

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2019). National quickstat. Retrieved from https://

You might also like