THE USUAL skeptics think that while a
subway can provide relief for Metro Manila denizens slowly dying from inhaling
polluted air and grappling with horrendous traffic, an underground rail system
is not feasible in the flood-prone national capital.
Since streets get inundated after a
slight drizzle in this metropolis some of whose sections are below sea level,
they ask what the guarantee is there that commuters taking their chance in the
subway will not drown when the next typhoon blows in.
What will happen to passengers trapped
in the darkened tunnel if the subway system is hit by the usual brownout or if
a train jumps off the rail like its cousin the MRT-3 is wont to do every so
often? (The mismanaged MRT-3 has given light rail commuting a bad name.) *
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| As much as P47.15 billion may go to the subway's 30.8 kilometer first line connecting 14 stations from Valenzuela in the north to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay and on to the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig (photo credit to owner) |
Those questions may sound valid, but
are a bit late to ask. Japan and the Philippines already exchanged notes the other
day with Tokyo committing a loan of close to P60 billion for three key
projects, one of them the first phase of the Metro Manila subway system.
As much as P47.15 billion of the loan
may go to the subway’s 30.8-kilometer first line connecting 14 stations from
Valenzuela in the north to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay and
on to the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig.
The Japanese foreign ministry said
129.857 billion yen in assistance is part of the one-trillion-yen financial
package for Philippine development projects pledged by Japan Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe last year. (One yen converts to P0.451)
The loans and assistance package was
among the low-hanging fruits that President Rodrigo Duterte has picked during
his two-day official visit to Tokyo this week that included a one-on-one with
the prime minister and a call on Japanese Emperor Akihito.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the
interest rate for the loan is 0.1 percent per annum while the repayment period
is 28 years after a 12-year grace period. About 800 billion yen (P356 billion)
is needed to complete the subway project.
With the terms being disclosed,
Filipino taxpayers, businessmen, and economic planners know what to expect,
unlike in the case of loans and deals promised by China whose terms have not
been announced or explained. *
During Duterte’s Tokyo visit, 18
agreements were signed between Japanese business entities and Philippine firms
involving an estimated $6 billion worth of new investments.
Tugade assures smooth
tunneling
TRANSPORTATION Secretary Arthur Tugade,
who is overseeing the subway project, said the underground rail network whose
construction will not disturb vehicular flow above ground, will help ease
traffic, reduce air pollution, and stimulate productivity.
Assuring “Postscript” that the
subway was technically feasible despite expected geological challenges, Tugade
cited several engineering feats involving long-distance submarine tunnels
efficiently and safely connecting far-off places.
He said the Metro Manila subway service
will start with 19 trains, each train consisting of eight cars, running at 80
kilometers per hour (compared to the 35 kph of the degraded MRT-3 line on
EDSA).
Traavel time between Valenzuela, where
the 28.8-hectare depot will be located, and FTI in Taguig will be 43 minutes
for the local service, and 32 minutes for the express run servicing only eight of
the 14 stations.
Starting from Valenzuela, the Express
and Local stations are: Mindanao Ave-Quirino Highway (Express and Local);
Tandang Sora QC (Loc); North Ave QC (Exp and Loc); Quezon Ave QC (Exp and Loc);
East Ave QC (Loc); Anonas QC (Exp and Loc); Katipunan Ave QC (Loc); Ortigas
North Pasig (Exp and Loc); Ortigas South Pasig (Loc); Kalayaan Ave Makati
(Loc); Bonifacio Global City Taguig (Exp and Loc); Cayetano Blvd Taguig (Loc);
NAIA Pasay (Exp and Loc); and Food Terminal Inc Taguig (Exp and Loc). *
Tugade said the groundbreaking and the
building of a training center will be in the third quarter of 2018.
Construction will go full blast middle of 2020.
The boring of the 30.8-kilometer tunnel
for the first line will start 2019. Premier Abe has expressed optimism that
partial operation of the line will start during Duterte’s term, before the
presidential election in 2022.
A tunnel-boring machine will dig
several meters below street level without motorists and pedestrians even aware
of the activity underground, except at some station sites with limited space
for materials and equipment being mobilized.
The tough head of the worm-like machine
bores through whatever is in its way, gathers and sends the debris to the rear
through a spiral conveyor. As it drills on, pre-stressed slabs are installed to
shore up the inside of the tunnel.
Source: The Philippine Star
“Beat the traffic, build a subway” by Mr. Federico D. Pascual Jr., November 2,
2017
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