COMMON STATION | DOTr signs contract with private firms to build unified terminal

The Department of Transportation, BF Corporation and Foresight Development Surveying Corporation have signed a contract for the construction of the Unified Grand Central Terminal for MRT 3, LRT1, MRT 7 and the Metro Manila Subway.

The project which is set to be finished by the last quarter of 2020 will be located on the center of North Avenue to help passengers reach their various destinations easier.

The station will serve passengers coming from Taft Avenue in Manila for MRT 3, San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan for MRT 7, Baclaran in Manila for LRT 1, and Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City for Metro Manila Subway.

The common station was initially planned in 2006 to be linked to the Sy-led The Annex at SM City North EDSA in North Avenue, but the Supreme Court suspended its construction in August 2014 after SM Prime Holdings contested the location near Ayala-led Trinoma Mall.

LOOK | Pumirma na ng kasunduan ang transport officials at stakeholders ng pribadong sektor para sa pagtatayo ng Grand Central Terminal.

Gagawin ito sa parking area ng Trinoma sa North Ave. at magiging common station ng LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7 at Manila Subway. | via @gerarddelapena pic.twitter.com/eNF47WZBBL

— News5 AKSYON (@News5AKSYON) February 13, 2019

Transportation spokesperson Cherrie Mercado explained then that SM acquired the naming rights to the station with a P200-million fee, but Trinoma later also paid 150 million for the same rights.

On September 28, 2016, both firms agreed to build the station between their malls on EDSA which was then followed by two failed biddings among contractors.

Now after over a decade, the transportation department, BF, and Foresight corporations are set to undertake the project but ask the public to be patient as they expect some inconveniences in completing the project.

“Ang challenges talaga natin dyan, traffic management ay number one. We have identified some obstructions, so yung coordination with different departments— the local governments, utilities—iyan yung pre-construction na dapat nating ma-address,” BF Corp. Engr. Lucenda Vergara said.

“Kung anuman ang gusto nating pagbabago na economic growth, meron kakambal at kaakibat na inconvenience iyan. Mamili po tayo: panandaliang hirap, temporary inconvenience, o pangmatagalang sagana,” Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade added.

http://news.tv5.com.ph/breaking/common-station-dotr-signs-contract-with-private-firms-to-build-unified-terminal

Contracting arrangements finalized for common station

THE government signed on Wednesday an agreement with a contractor tasked to build the last component of the so-called Unified Grand Central Station — previously known as the common station for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines, with the station due to open in late 2020.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the consortium of BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co. (BFC-FDSC) signed the P2.8-billion deal for Area A of the common station in North Avenue, Quezon City.

The common station will link four train lines: LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and eventually, the Metro Manila Subway. It will have three sections that are being built separately: Area A by BFC-FDSC, Area B by Ayala Corp. and Area C by San Miguel Corp., the concessionaire for the MRT-7 project.

DoTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John R. Batan said adding the subway to the train lines that are linked to the common station requires an expansion of the lot size of Area B, which will serve as the common concourse, from 7,000 square meters (sq.m.) to 14,000 sq. m.

“When we were planning for only three lines to connect with the common station, we estimated foot traffic at 500,000 in the opening year in 2020. (But the subway) means we need to accommodate 1.2 million passengers a day,” he said.

On the subway, Mr. Batan said department officials are scheduled to go to Japan next week to meet with the Japanese government to discuss the groundbreaking, originally scheduled for mid-January but moved due to “scheduling issues.”

“We’re coordinating with the Japanese on the scheduling. (But) they have started working on the design,” he said.

At the same event, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade announced that the department will groundbreak the Tutuban-Malolos portion of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) on Friday.

“On Friday, we will be inaugurating… the Tutuban-Malolos portion of the Tutuban-Clark Railway. This is again one project that has been long delayed,” he said.

Mr. Tugade said the department has arranged for Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd. to build the train line, which will run 38 kilometers from Manila to Bulacan with 10 stops.

Mr. Batan said the NSCR project costs P777.55 billion, covering the 56 kilometers from Calamba to Tutuban, 38 kilometers from Tutuban to Malolos and 53 kilometers from Malolos to Clark. — Denise A. Valdez

https://www.bworldonline.com/contracting-arrangements-finalized-for-common-station/

DOTr inks deal on common station construction

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday signed a contract with a private consortium for the construction of Area A of the Unified Grand Central Station (UGCS) or the common station which is located between SM North Edsa and Trinoma in Quezon City.

The DOTr signed the contract with BF Corporation and Foresight Development and Surveying Company (FDSC) Consortium which will be in charge of the construction of Area A of the common station.

“The common station aims to ensure an integrated, interoperable, and intermodal system that will ensure comfort and convenience for our commuters,” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said in an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the contract signing at the construction site of the common station in Quezon City.

The common station aims to connect the major railway systems in Metro Manila-- the Light Rail Transit Line (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) and the Metro Manila Subway which will enable passengers to seamlessly transfer from one rail line to another.

The common station which will have a 13,000 square meter concourse will consist of three components which will connect LRT-1, MRT-3 and MRT-7.

Area A, estimated to cost around PHP2.7 billion will cover the platforms for LRT-1 and MRT-3 to be handled by the DOTr.

BF Corporation-FDSC Consortium has committed to complete the construction of Area A by October next year.

“As per contract, this project shall be completed in 20 months. By Valentine’s next year, we should be completing physically the project maybe 60 percent or more in physical progress. Our completion is by October 2020,” BF Corporation general manager Lucenda Vergara said.

Area B, which will connect Areas A and B, will be built by North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation (NTDCC), an affiliate of Ayala Land while Area C which covers the platform for MRT-7 is still being constructed by the San Miguel Corporation.

The Ayala Land has committed to finish the construction of Area B by next year, according to the DOTr.

Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan Jr. said the department is eyeing the operations of the common station to start by the end of 2020.

“As much as possible we want them to be open at the same time by the end of 2020,” Batan said.

The common station is expected to serve around 500,000 passengers daily upon its completion.

It is a joint project of the DOTr, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., Universal LRT Corporation Limited of the San Miguel Corporation, Light Rail Manila Corporation, North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Light Rail Transit Authority.

A memorandum of agreement was signed by the government, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, SMPH Director Hans T. Sy, Ayala Corp. chief executive officer Jaime Zobel de Ayala, and SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang on January 2017 which ended the eight-year impasse over its location. (With reports from Irish Cana, OJT/PNA)

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061843

Contract signed for EDSA side of MRT-LRT common station

Common Area A, which will link the LRT1 and the MRT3, will be operational by October 2020, says the private builder

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday, February 13, inked an agreement with a private builder for the construction of the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit (MRT-LRT) common station's Area A facing EDSA.

Dubbed the Unified Grand Central Station, the 13,700-square-meter common station will have 3 areas linking LRT Line 1, MRT Lines 3 and 7, and the planned Metro Manila Subway.

Present at the signing on Wednesday were Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Railways Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, and Lucila Gomez of the BF Corporation-Foresight Development and Surveying Company (FDSC) Consortium.

BF Corporation-FDSC Consortium will be building Area A, where the platform and the concourse for the LRT1 and MRT3 will be located. Batan said the contract amounts to about P2.8 billion.

Gomez said they target to complete Area A within 20 months or by October 2020.

Transfer from Area A to Area B will take roughly 35 seconds for the 48-meter distance, Batan said.

When will the Unified Grand Central Station be operational? Batan told reporters that they are eyeing full operations for the common station by the end of 2020.

"As much as possible, we want them to open end of 2020," he said.

Area B, which will connect Areas A and C, will be built by North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation, an affiliate of Ayala Land. Area C will cover the platform for the MRT7, which is still being constructed.

But Batan explained that due to legal issues stalling the construction of the MRT7 depot, structures for Area C "maybe there" but there are no guarantees that it would be operational by the end of 2020. The DOTr is eyeing 2022 at the latest.

"All the 23 kilometers of MRT7 can be completed, but without the depot, it can't operate. All the [train] cars are still in Korea," Batan told reporters.

Meanwhile, Tugade said on Wednesday that Ayala Land "committed" to finishing Area B next year as well.

In 2017, the construction of the common station's Area B had begun, after being delayed for 10 years.

The legal battle stemmed from the location of the station, which is sure to generate plenty of foot traffic. An agreement was reached in 2016 to place the common station between SM North EDSA and Ayala's TriNoma.

The common station, expected to serve around 500,000 passengers daily, will provide commuters seamless transfer from one railway line to another.

https://www.rappler.com/business/223403-dotr-bf-corporation-sign-contract-edsa-side-mrt-lrt-common-station-february-2019

SMC on track to complete Skyway Stage 3 by year-end

San Miguel Corp.(SMC) said it expects to complete the construction of the Skyway Stage 3 by December this year, a company official said.

“Yes, we’re optimistic we can finish it by end 2019,” SMC deputy project manager for Skyway Stage 3 Alex Solomon told reporters Friday.

The Skyway Stage 3 is the elevated road project of SMC unit Citra Central Expressway Corp. (CCEC) that will connect SLEX and NLEX from Buendia in Makati to Bagong Barrio in Caloocan crossing the EDSA Balintawak cloverleaf.

Solomon said the company previously encountered delays in the construction of the project mainly due to right of way issues  and the transfer of electricity lines of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

He added the company has added more workers for the project to hasten the completion of the project.

Solomon said total budget for the project now stands at P46 billion.

In line with the completion of the Skyway Stage 3, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and NLEX Corp. said they will implement a major traffic rerouting plan so that CCEC can proceed with the full-blast construction of its Skyway Stage 3 project in certain portions of NLEX Balintawak this month.

“We are appealing for the patience and understanding of the public, but we are also assuring them that MMDA, NLEX and Skyway teams will exert all efforts to minimize travel delays despite the ongoing construction,” MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia said.

For his part, NLEX Corp. chief operating officer Raul Ignacio also expressed support for the project.

NLEX is extending its support to the project aimed at solving traffic congestion in Metro Manila as it is also one with the government in improving the country’s transport and logistics industry,” he said.

CCEC said construction works will be conducted on a kilometer stretch of NLEX Balintawak. This will affect traffic in Balintawak Cloverleaf, Camachile and Bagong Barrio, including the East and West Service Roads.

“To ensure smooth flow of traffic within this area, certain areas of NLEX Balintawak were widened,” NLEX said in a statement.

Under the major traffic rerouting plan, which will be implemented starting, 11 p.m. today until the end of the year, those coming from NLEX going to Quezon City may use Smart Connect Interchange heading to Mindanao Avenue. At the Mindanao Avenue intersection, turn right going to Quezon City to destination.

Meanwhile, private cars, vans, PUJs from Quirino Highway bound for EDSA via Camachile are advised to head to Camachile Flyover, turn right towards West Service Road then turn right at EDSA.

For PUJs,  take a U-turn at Biglang Awa, turn right at Cloverleaf to A. Bonifacio (to Blumentritt) or take the southeast loop to return to Novaliches.

As trucks from Quirino Highway going to A. Bonifacio will not be allowed at Camachile, they are advised to head toward Mindanao Avenue then turn left at NLEX Mindanao entry going to Smart Connect Interchange toward NLEX southbound.The same scheme goes for trucks from Congressional to A. Bonifacio/Port Area.

For private cars and vans from EDSA Muñoz to Port Area, head to Monumento crossing Balintawak Cloverleaf, turn left at De Jesus Street, head straight to C3 then at the C3 intersection, turn right to Port Area.

Aside from closing some lanes at NLEX Balintawak, the plan also includes closing the ramp from EDSA northbound to A. Bonifacio.

The NLEX management pointed out that private vehicles from NLEX going to Balintawak southbound will have the option to choose their preferred routes, PUJs and UV Express units will follow their specific routes, while buses will keep on their designated franchise routes.On the other hand, trucks coming from NLEX will not be rerouted.

The MMDA and NLEX, in close coordination with CCEC and local government units, guarantee that traffic patrol officers and marshals will be deployed to manage the flow of vehicles within the construction area and alternate routes.

Directional traffic signs will also be put up at strategic locations to better guide motorists. Real-time traffic updates at the NLEX will be posted on electronic variable message signs and announced via social media accounts.

“We are hoping that with all these preparations in place, our motorists and commuters can plan their trips ahead and reach their destinations safe and on time,” Garcia said.

The Skyway Stage 3 is a six-lane elevated expressway in Metro Manila extending 17.54 kilometers from Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City to Balintawak, Quezon City.

The project is divided into five segments: 3.76 km from Buendia Avenue to Quirino Avenue; 0.96 km from Quirino Avenue to Tomas Claudio Street; 3.93 km from Tomas Claudio Street to Aurora Boulevard; 2.71 km from Aurora Boulevard to Quezon Avenue; 4.46 km from Quezon Avenue to A. Bonifacio Avenue and 1.56 km from A. Bonifacio Avenue to North Luzon Expressway.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/02/10/1892310/smc-track-complete-skyway-stage-3-year-end

LRT1 operator says Cavite extension works to start mid-2018

Construction of the P64-billion Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) extension from Baclaran in Parañaque City to Bacoor, Cavite is targeted to commence sometime in the middle of 2018, operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) said Thursday.

In May 2017, LRMC and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) broke ground for the LRT1 Cavite extension project.

“Our guess right now? I think we want the actual construction to start by the middle of this year,” LRMC president and CEO Juan Alfonso told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Makati City.

Clear the actual path for the construction and addressing right-of-way issues are taking more time, Alfonso noted. “We still have things that we’re trying to iron out in our right or way,” he said.

“It’s really clearing the path for actual construction, whether its residence or utility lines,” he added.

LRMC and French engineering, procurement, construction contractor Bouyges Travaux Publics are now about to enter the “detailed design phase” of the project.

LRT1 Cavite extension is a government and private sector initiative to extend the mass rail system’s reach by adding eight stations straddling 11 kilometers through cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Bacoor.

The new stations are Aseana, Manila International Airport, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, and Dr. Santos in Parañaque City; Las Piñas and Zapote in Las Piñas City, and Niog in Bacoor.

To be completed in the last quarter of 2021, the extension is expected to accommodate 410,000 passengers a day in its opening year. —VDS, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/641795/lrt1-operator-says-cavite-extension-works-to-start-mid-2018/story/

NLEX set to roll out more big-ticket projects this year

NLEX Corp., the concessionaire for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), is gearing up to finish a number of big-ticket projects this year following completion of more than 20 projects in 2018.

“Continuous improvement, whether in infrastructure or service, has been and will always be our focus. 2019 will be even better for everyone as big-ticket projects are set for completion this year,”  Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president and CEO Rodrigo Franco said.

Among the projects eyed for completion this year are the additional toll lanes in San Fernando, Mexico and Angeles; the expanded connecting ramps of NLEX-SCTEX, the new NLEX drive and dine service facility; and the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, an elevated expressway that is designed to provide direct access between the Manila Port and the northern provinces of Luzon via NLEX.

The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is slated to open this month after its scheduled opening in December did not push through.

Last year, NLEX completed more than 20 projects in both NLEX and SCTEX which were aimed at decongesting traffic and enhancing services to motorists.

“2018 was a productive year for us as we were able to build more roads that helped us provide travel convenience and establish stronger relationships with our stakeholders,” Franco said.

Franco said among the notable projects the company wrapped up last year were the new Mabiga Interchange, Sta. Ines-Magalang Exit, and the additional lane in San Fernando Northbound Exit.

NLEX has made the Mabiga into a full diamond interchange by building new access ramps with entry and exit toll plazas and constructed the Sta.Ines-Magalang Exit to provide direct access to local roads in Magalang, Pampanga.

It also added one lane at the San Fernando Northbound Exit which has since prevented traffic bottlenecks especially during rush hours.

A new pedestrian and tricycle overpass in Mapulang Lupa was also built to ease mounting traffic issues at Valenzuela Interchange and improve mobility of commuters coming to and from barangays Paso de Blas and Mapulang Lupa.

The Mindanao Avenue, which has grown to be a busy thoroughfare and has provided motorists a convenient alternative entry and exit to NLEX, was equipped with three new traffic lights to accommodate left-turning vehicles from NLEX going to Valenzuela and provide safer travel to those bound for the service roads, especially during nighttime.

MPTC, the tollways arm of MPIC, is the holding company of NLEX and SCTEX.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/24/1887555/nlex-set-roll-out-more-big-ticket-projects-year

NSCR breaks ground next month

Phase 1 of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project should finally break ground in February, about a year since Japan and the Philippines first agreed on pursuing the program as part of the ambitious infrastructure buildup program of the government.

Its implementing agency, the Department of Transportation (DoTr), previously obtained committed funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and involves extending the rail line of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) from the Tutuban Station in Manila to Malolos in Bulacan and all the way to the airport at Clark.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the first phase of the railway extension project should begin next month.

“Phase 1 is going to start construction in February. That’s for the initial 38 kilometers from Tutuban to Malolos. For the extension to the North, we are starting our procurement already,” Batan told reporters.

According to him, the once problematic infrastructure program is “90 percent free and clear of right of way” problems.

“So, we are going straight to mobilization by February. The remaining 10 percent are just the fringes so full-scale construction will begin,” he added.

“Partial operability by 2022 will cover the entire segment from Clark airport all the way to Blumentritt station in the South. That’s the interchange station with LRT 1 and by second quarter of 2023, full operations will be in place all the way to Los Banos,” Batan said.

PNR General Manager Jun Magno said they will begin commissioning by December 2021, noting that some rail activity should be visible by that time.

“Right now, we are concentrating on the National Capital Region. PNR has alignments from Cabanatuan to Balagtas (Bulacan) so we asked the National Economic and Development Authority to conduct a feasibility study for the Cabanatuan to Makati line,” Magno said.
“We asked them to conduct two studies. One is Cabanatuan to Bulacan and the San Jose, Nueva Ecija to Tarlac connecting to NCR and possibly a feasibility study of the Cagayan tunnel,” he added.

Batan said the line is projected to accommodate around 350,000 passengers per day by 2022 and some 1.1 million passengers after the project is completed.

Magno also said the two mainlines of the PNR extension project can accommodate one million passengers each.

“Each mainline can accommodate 1 million each per day towards Metro Manila. That is our first Metro-grade train system. This is the first one that we’ll have with a much greater [passenger] capacity,” he said.

http://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2019/01/23/nscr-breaks-ground-next-month/

Philippines, Japan sign $1.54-billion loan deal on North-South Railway

The North-South Commuter Railway project will 'seamlessly' connect Philippine National Railways lines in Clark, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna

The governments of Philippines and Japan signed an P80.47-billion ($1.54-billion) loan agreement on the 109-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) extension project, the biggest project so far under the infrastructure program "Build, Build, Build."

On Monday, January 21, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Director General Shigenori Ogawa signed the first tranche of the multibillion-peso loan deal at the Department of Finance.

The total cost of the project amounted to P628.42 billion ($12.03 billion). JICA and the Asian Development Bank will finance the total loan financing requirement at P488 billion ($9.34 billion).

The signing was witnessed by Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Railways Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, and embassy of Japan Minister Atsushi Kuwabara.

Dominguez said on Monday that the economic benefits of improved mobility once the railway service is completed "will translate into many times over the cost of the project."

"This commuter rail service ought to have been built many years ago. This might have spared our harried commuters all the grief they bear now," Dominguez said.

"But previous governments did not have the fiscal space, did not have the enthusiasm of our international development partners and, most important, did not have the unyielding political will we benefit from today," he added.

Dominguez said that the NSCR project has the "fastest loan processing time" in the history of the Philippines-Japan cooperation.

In November 2018, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CabCom) approved the changes in scope of the 147-kilometer railway system, which included a 76% increase from the previous total costing estimate of P440.88 billion.

The increase in costing was due to a shift in engineering design, increase in the number of trains, and added costs that will cover resettlement activities for the 12,901 informal settler families.

The loan has a maturity period of 40 years, with a 12-year grace period. Non-consulting services under the agreement have an interest rate of 10 basis points per annum, and 1 basis point per annum for consulting services.

This is the second railway loan deal with Japan under the Duterte administration. JICA will also be financing the P18-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) rehabilitation.

Seamless commute

The railway will "seamlessly" integrate the Philippine National Railways (PNR) lines from Central Luzon to Calabarzon:

The 38-kilometer PNR Clark 1 from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan
The 58-kilometer PNR Clark 2 from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark International Airport, Pampanga
The 72-kilometer PNR Calamba running from Solis Street in Tondo, Manila to Los Banos, Laguna

The extension project covers PNR Clark 2 and PNR Calamba lines. Previously, the government had inked a $2.37-billion loan from Japan for the PNR Clark 1 deal in November 2015.

The railway system will also link existing railway lines – Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines 1 and 2, the MRT3, and the upcoming Metro Manila Subway.

Batan said that the NSCR "is more than just another railway," with less travel time from the provinces to Metro Manila.

"The NSCR is more than just another railway project, as it promises to deliver a new way of life to the millions of Filipinos that it will benefit," Batan said.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects to have a ridership of 340,000 passengers a day when it partially operates in 2022. By 2023, DOTr expects a ridership of 550,000 passengers when it becomes fully operational.

Initially, the NSCR project was planned to be under a public-private partnership under the Aquino government.

The Duterte administration had called off the auction in 2016.

https://www.rappler.com/business/221610-philippines-japan-sign-loan-deal-north-south-railway

House panel questions route of Metro Manila Subway

A House panel is summoning the inter-agency committee that decided the route of the Metro Manila Subway, saying the chosen route was the costliest of three options.

The House Committee on Metro Manila Development said officials of the committee must explain why the Katipunan route was chosen despite being the "most expensive" and "most problematic" among the 3 routes studied for the project.

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice pointed out that based on submissions of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Katipunan route requires a budget of P218 billion compared to P208 billion for the EDSA route and P211 billion for the Greenhills San Juan route.

The lawmaker also said the Katipunan route will affect more residential areas and require more space compared to the 2 other options.

“Mas malaki ang magagambala sa Katipunan, mas mahal, mas malaki (area required) sa Katipunan… mas malaki environmental impact, mas maraming tao maaapektuhan, mas mahal, pero mas pinili n’yo pa din ang Katipunan,” Erice said in a hearing, addressing DOTr Undersecretary for Railways, Atty. Timothy John Batan.

But Batan said the decision was based on the criteria set for the project, alongside the instruction guidelines by a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) design team.

The inter-agency committee is composed of the secretaries of DOTr, Department of Public Works and Highways, National Economic and Development Authority, and the head of the Metro Manila Development Authority, among others.

The first phase will connect Mindanao Avenue to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), with 3 stations set to be operational by 2022, the Department of Finance earlier said. The central zone with 13 stations is expected to be operational by 2025.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/21/19/house-panel-questions-route-of-metro-manila-subway