MANILA, Philippines – The operator of subway lines in Tokyo is backing the construction of a subway system in Metro Manila, as well as making improvements to the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) to address traffic congestion.

Atsushi Kamimura, manager for demand generation and marketing department at Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd. said pursuing a plan to build a subway that would link the business centers of Makati, Pasay and Taguig would help decongest roads in Metro Manila.

“The subway has many passengers, so that would mean fewer cars driving passengers. With the subway, I expect no more traffic,” he said.

The P374.5 billion Metro Manila subway, or Makati-Pasay-Taguig Mass Transit System Loop, is among the big-ticket projects the current administration is looking to pursue.

The project involves an underground railway system, as well as elevated rail to connect and address traffic congestion in Makati, Pasay and Taguig.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has conducted a pre-feasibility study on the project, is now working on a feasibility study.

JICA chief representative Susumu Ito earlier said, the agency expects to complete the feasibility study within the year.

Kamimura said Tokyo Metro is currently helping the JICA in the feasibility study for the project.

Aside from building a subway, he said improvements on the MRT-3 would also be beneficial.

“I don’t know whether it’s (MRT-3) safe or not…They really need to do something since it is congested during rush hour,” he said.

11 February 2017
By Louella Desiderio