The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced the start of construction of Metro Manila station near Meralco Avenue.

The DOTr said construction of the Ortigas Station should have started in October 2023 but was delayed due to right-of-way issue.

DOTr acting Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto inspected the site and demolition of establishments in the area affected by the construction.

Lopez said the station is targeted to be completed in three years, and should be operational in five years.

This station is very important because it is the second biggest subway station. And this is where the subway trains going to Mandaluyong and Ortigas will pass through. And this is also where there will be a turn pod.

The DOTr said 95% of right-of-way issues have already been settled.

The MMSP — the country’s very first underground railway system — broke ground in 2019.

It is envisioned to have a total of 17 stations and a 30.34-hectare depot where the Philippine Railway Institute is located.

The project involves the construction of a 33-kilometer railway line that will connect Valenzuela City to Pasay City, with a spur line to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

Last July, President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expressed hope that the Metro Manila Subway Project could be partially operational by 2028.

Marcos made the remark during the inspection of the Camp Aguinaldo Station of the project.

The MMSP’s 17 stations are: Valenzuela where the depot will be located, Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Katipunan (Camp Aguinaldo), Ortigas Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Lawton East, Senate-DepEd, NAIA Terminal 3, FTI, and Bicutan.

The subway project is envisioned to be interconnected with other rail systems: the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and the Metro Rail Transit-Line 7 (MRT-7) through the Common Station; the Light Rail Transit-Line 2 (LRT-2) at the Anonas Station; and a physical run through into the North-South Commuter Railway Extension (NSCR-Ex) at the FTI and Bicutan Stations.

The project currently has an estimated total cost of P488.5 billion, of which P370.7 billion will be financed through an official development assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Meanwhile, P117.7 billion will be covered by