The Metrowalk management appealed on Sunday to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to start the construction of P17.75-billion Metro Manila Subway that was delayed for three long years.

Business magnate Luis “Chavit” Singson, Metrowalk owner, said that the construction of the Subway should start right away after the Megawide Construction Corp. with its joint venture partners from Japan, Tokyu Construction and Tobishima Corporation, won the bidding of the ambitious project.

Chavit Singson said he issued a Permit-to-Enter three years ago on 30 September 2022 to DoTr and its subway contractors.

“We are appealing to the Department of Transportation acting secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez to start the long-delayed construction of the Metro Manila Subway immediately, and we have already sent a letter to him,” Singson said. The Subway is expected to be finished by 2032 after a five-year delay.

P17.75-billion total cost

The project has a contract value of P13.26 billion and JPY 11.23 trillion (approximately P4.49 billion using the exchange rate as of 4 May 2022), which together will have an aggregate estimated value of P17.75 billion.

According to experts, the Subway project will ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila by providing a faster, more efficient alternative to roads, reducing travel time between major points like Quezon City and NAIA from over an hour to 35 minutes.

Reports showed that Metro Manila’s traffic is considered among the worst in the world, with average travel times for 10 km reaching 25 minutes and 30 seconds in 2023, and motorists losing up to 127 hours annually due to rush hour traffic.