By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Reinforcing his message to fast-track the construction of major railway projects that would enhance connectivity and ease public transportation bottlenecks, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inspected the MMSP’s progress at the Quezon Avenue Station site on Wednesday.
Accompanied by Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, he embarked on a walkthrough of certain exhibits showcasing the specifications of the tunnel boring machine and a map showing the cross-section of the Quezon Avenue Station tunnel and the location of the station in conjunction with North Avenue and East Avenue sites.
As of press time, the tunnel boring machine has completed the excavation from the southbound section of North Avenue to the Quezon Avenue station, making this an important breakthrough in the progress of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
The section dug by the TBM, which forms part of Package CP-102, spans 1.13 kilometers in length and reaches a depth of 34 meters—equivalent to a four-storey building.
From this point, the TBM will continue to chew its way through rock and soil as it digs toward the East Avenue Station.
This is part of the 17 stations comprising the MMSP, which aims to provide faster and more reliable transportation from Valenzuela to Taguig, reducing travel time across several cities in Metro Manila from two hours to anywhere between 30 and 40 minutes.
Once completed, it is expected to benefit half a million commuters living and working in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the adjacent provinces of Bulacan in the north, and Cavite in the south.
The MMSP is a multinational and multi-conglomerate effort composed of Underground Infrastructure Technologies Corporation, Oriental Consultants Global Company Ltd., and Nishimatsu Construction Company Ltd., with the latter teaming up with D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) to make the country’s first subway a reality.
These Japanese firms provide the equipment, technology, and know-how in the MMSP’s construction, backed by Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). (with report from Clay Pardilla | PTV News)
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