Metro subway project boosted by new TBMs

The construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) is set to accelerate with the arrival of two additional tunnel boring machines (TBMs) by the end of the year, according to Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista.

Speaking during the Pre-State of the Nation Address (SoNA) Special on state-run People’s Television Network on Friday, Bautista highlighted the progress of the ambitious project.

“We already have four TBMs that are operating almost 24 hours a day. Within the year, that will become six,” he said.

Bautista also revealed plans to significantly increase the number of TBMs in the coming years.

“The TBMs will increase to at least 19 working simultaneously,” he noted, underscoring the department’s commitment to expediting the subway’s construction.

The MMSP, a critical infrastructure initiative, involves the excavation of approximately 1.2 million cubic meters of soil for its partial operability section, using a mix of cut-cover methods and TBMs.

Bautista illustrated the scale of the project by comparing the volume of excavated soil to 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“For the tunnels alone, the excavation will be around 711,000 cubic meters or an equivalent of 285 Olympic-size swimming pools,” Bautista said.

In addition to the tunneling work, the DoTr is focusing on fast-tracking the construction of the subway’s stations.

“For the MMSP, the challenging part of the construction are the stations because there will be 17 of them,” Bautista explained.

Once completed, the MMSP will stretch 33 kilometers, traversing eight cities from Valenzuela City to FTI-Bicutan in Parañaque City, with a spur line extending to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City.

The new subway line aims to significantly reduce travel time across Metro Manila, cutting the journey between Quezon City and NAIA from the current average of one hour and 10 minutes to just 35 minutes.

This reduction is expected to alleviate congestion and improve overall transportation efficiency in the capital. JD