The Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects tunneling works for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) to reach Anonas Station within six months, or by April, following the start of drilling by the third Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) from Camp Aguinaldo Station this month.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Wednesday that with a tunneling pace of nine meters per day, the machine is projected to complete its route from Camp Aguinaldo to Anonas within that period.

The third TBM, under Contract Package 103, already kicked off tunneling from Camp Aguinaldo toward Anonas Station.

Two other TBMs have already excavated more than 1,000 meters between Camp Aguinaldo and Ortigas Stations.

“Additional tunnel boring machines mean less time for us to complete our projects. The subway will continue, and the DOTr will not stop implementing projects,” Lopez said during the launch at Camp Aguinaldo Station.

Spanning 33 kilometers from Valenzuela City to Pasay City, the Metro Manila Subway will include 17 stations and a 30.34-hectare depot in Valenzuela, which will also house the Philippine Railway Institute.

The system will connect with the North–South Commuter Railway through FTI and Bicutan Stations, enabling passengers to travel from Valenzuela to Calamba without transferring trains.

Once completed, the subway is expected to reduce travel time between Valenzuela and Pasay from one hour and 38 minutes to just 45 minutes and serve around 519,000 passengers daily by 2032.

The DOTr said right-of-way acquisition for the entire line is now 75 percent complete, with full delivery targeted by March 2026.

The country’s first underground rail system is set for full completion by 2032, though the DOTr aims to open at least three stations — Valenzuela, Quirino, and potentially North Avenue — by 2028.

The Ortigas Station, however, remains a key right-of-way challenge and may not be completed by then.