The Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) has achieved its first tunnel breakthrough, connecting the North Avenue and Quezon Avenue stations in Quezon City in a key milestone for the country’s first underground railway system.
The breakthrough was completed Sept. 14 under Contract Package 102 (CP 102), when a tunnel boring machine (TBM) broke through the concrete diaphragm wall of the Quezon Avenue Station after excavating a 1.12-kilometer southbound tunnel from the south end of North Avenue Station.
CP 102, undertaken by the Nishimatsu-DMCI Joint Venture (NDJV), covers about 3.1 kilometers of subway tunnels and the construction of the Quezon Avenue and East Avenue stations.
The diaphragm wall at Quezon Avenue Station was constructed using fiberglass rebar instead of conventional steel reinforcement. DMCI said the design was intended to prevent unnecessary damage to the TBM cutterhead during the breakthrough.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later visited the Quezon Avenue Station to inspect the breakthrough and the tunneling works.
The completed southbound tunnel connects North Avenue and Quezon Avenue stations, with tunneling continuing toward East Avenue Station.
NDJV officials present at the milestone included Nishimatsu Construction Co. Philippine Branch Office General Manager Keiji Matsushita, MMSP CP 102 Project Director Osamu Iwata, DMCI Senior Vice President for Project Partnerships Rebecca E. Civil, DMCI Operations Director Dwight A. Ta-ala and MMSP CP 102 Deputy Project Director Reynaldo T. Lazaro.
The breakthrough marks the first such achievement in the MMSP and highlights the joint venture's use of specialized engineering and construction techniques in building the subway.
The 33.1-kilometer MMSP will have 17 stations connecting Valenzuela City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. Once fully operational, the subway is expected to reduce travel time along the route from more than 1 hour and 30 minutes to about 41 minutes.
