The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and energy utility provider Meralco on Thursday signed an agreement to power the Metro Manila Subway --the country’s first underground railway.
During the signing of the ‘Switching Station Agreement with Deeds of Usufruct,’ Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the partnership will guarantee “uninterrupted power and reliable service” for the subway system.
“I would like to thank Meralco for your support as this agreement will help the Metro Manila Subway a step closer to reality,” Bautista said.
Under the agreement, the DOTr will provide Meralco with a switching station area of 1,743 square meters for the interconnection of the Metro Manila Subway to Meralco’s distribution network.
With the land allocation, Meralco with finance, install, control, operate and maintain the required facilities within the switching station for the Metro Manila Subway interconnection.
To date, construction for the subway is ongoing, with the tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the project’s contract package 104 (CP104) —Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard Stations— currently at the stockyard in Doña Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig City after being delivered from Japan to the Port of Manila on Jan. 1.
The subway will start from Valenzuela, pass through Quezon City, Pasig City, Makati City, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Bicutan, as well as connections with the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
It is slated for partial operation by 2028. By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
Article courtesy of the Philippine News Agency
