The Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) is moving closer to a direct rail link to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after the government awarded the contract for the airport spur line.
The award adds to D.M. Consunji Inc.’s (DMCI) growing role in the country’s flagship subway program, with the company securing another major package tied to the future airport connection.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) awarded Contract Package (CP) 109 to the joint venture of DMCI and Taisei Corp. for the NAIA spur line.
Under the contract, the DMCI-Taisei joint venture will receive P16.06 billion, excluding 12 percent value-added tax, plus foreign-denominated payments of $20.17 million and 7.03 billion Japanese yen (about P2.736 billion).
The award reflects an upward adjustment from the original P16-billion bid, with an added P66.18 million to account for inflation over the two-year delay in the procurement process.
DOTr first invited bids for CP 109 in May 2023, but right-of-way challenges across the MMSP slowed the award of several packages.
CP 109 includes tunnel works and a station serving NAIA, positioning the project to deliver the airport’s first rail connection once the line is completed.
The package also aligns with ongoing efforts to modernize airport operations, supporting broader plans to improve how passengers move to and from the country’s main gateway.
Once delivered, CP 109 is expected to become a key link in the MMSP by connecting NAIA to the wider urban rail network and improving access for air travelers, workers and commuters.
The airport connection is expected to strengthen transport integration in Metro Manila, where access to NAIA has long depended on road-based travel.
For DMCI, CP 109 is its third subway package under the MMSP, following CP 102 for the Quezon Avenue and East Avenue stations and tunnel works, and CP 105 for the Kalayaan and Bonifacio Global City stations and a tunnel segment in Taguig.
With CP 109 awarded, attention now turns to CP 108, the remaining subway package covering the Lawton and Senate-DepEd segment in Taguig City.
Overall, the MMSP continues to advance, reaching 27.08 percent completion as of February.
Tunnel boring machines have excavated at least 5.37 kilometers so far, while construction is ongoing at the Valenzuela depot and at 10 stations along the alignment.
DOTr is also aiming to complete right-of-way acquisition this year after securing 82.37 percent of required property and resolving some of the project’s most challenging segments, including Ortigas and White Plains.
With a project cost of P488.5 billion, the MMSP is set to become the country’s first underground railway, spanning 33 kilometers across six cities in Metro Manila.
Once operational, the subway is expected to cut travel time between Valenzuela City and NAIA to 41 minutes from about 1.5 hours and serve up to 520,000 passengers daily.
While the project timeline has shifted, the latest award moves the subway closer to full network delivery and to a long-awaited rail connection to the country’s main airport.
