A new milestone for the project.
On Friday, February 13, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. led the groundbreaking of the Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) stations of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
The new segment will connect Shaw Boulevard in Pasig City to Lawton Avenue in Taguig City, with both stations projected to serve more than 200,000 passengers daily on their opening year alone.
The Metro Manila Subway’s Kalayaan Avenue station will be built beneath 11th Avenue and Uptown Open Parking, while the BGC Station is located along McKinley Parkway, between Serendra and the Market! Market! mall.
“Today, we proved to the world something we thought – we once thought would be impossible: a subway in Metro Manila,” said Marcos, who also noted that the project aims to restore dignity to daily travel for commuters.
He added, “This means workers arriving on time, students getting home earlier, and our citizens regaining hours that we once lost to congestion.”
“Panahon na upang matuldukan ang dekadang paghihirap ng ating mga komyuter. Hangad natin ang ligtas, mabilis at komportableng biyahe dahil ang oras ng bawat Pilipino ay mahalaga at bawat minutong matitipid ay oras na maigugugol kasama ang inyong mga pamilya,” furthered the President.
Prior to the BGC-Kalayaan groundbreaking ceremony, the President also inspected the Shaw Boulevard subway station in Pasig, which began construction works in late 2025.
The Shaw Boulevard station is located beside Estancia Mall along Meralco Avenue up to the corner of Shaw Boulevard.
In his speech, President Marcos mentioned the progress of the Shaw Boulevard station and expressed optimism about the project’s implementation.
The Chief Executive said, “Earlier today, we inspected Shaw Boulevard. The progress we’ve witnessed there and in all these projects demonstrates that implementation is fully and actively underway.”
PBBM also outlined the set of initiatives that wull modernize the country’s public transport system, noting how traffic congestion in the region had been a constant consideration that affects the daily decisions of commuters.
Traffic congestion already influences where peoe live, work, and study, said the President.
He also recognized that some students hesitate to enroll in certain schools due to long commute times, while there are also workers who decline opportunities due to travel costs and reduced time spent with their families.
“This is not the kind of future that we want for our kababayans,” stressed Marcos, who touted the subway as one of the long-term solutions.
He continued, “Panahon na upang matuldukan ang dekadang paghihirap ng ating mga komyuter. Hangad natin ang ligtas, mabilis, at kumportableng biyahe, dahil ang oras ng bawat Pilipino ay mahalaga, at bawat minutong matitipid ay oras na maigugugol ninyo kasama ang inyong mga pamilya.”
“This is the scale of transformation that we are building. And this brings us closer to a fully connected subway system that will redefine mobility in our nation’s capital,” the President also said in his speech, as he bared the many initiatives of the government in the transportation sector.
For his part, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is fast-tracking the construction of the subway.
“Tulad ng sabi ng ating Pangulo, una [ang mga benepisyo], it cuts travel time. Kapag mas maiksi ang biyahe, simple lang ang ibig sabihin, sabi ng Pangulo mas maraming oras sa pamilya, sa anak at sa kaibigan at sa sarili na rin,” he said.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya then expressed their government’s continued support in overseeing the progress and completion of the project.
“Metro Manila continues to face serious challenges related to traffic congestion and air pollution, and the construction of this subway is a vital step toward addressing these issues,” noted Kazuya. “This project will form the backbone of a more efficient public transportation system and help realize a more comfortable, sustainable and livable urban environment.”
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the 33.1-kilometer subway stretches from Valenzuela City to Parañaque City, all the way to Bicutan, Taguig.
There will also be branch line that will connect it to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
Once fully completed by the year 2032, over 500,000 passengers daily, the subway will also reduce travel time from Quezon City to NAIA, as part of the first phase of the project, from one hour and 10 minutes to just 35 minutes
It will operate 30 eight-car train sets, each capable of carrying up to 2,228 passengers, the DOTr furthered.
The subway will also have seamless interconnections with existing railway lines like LRT-1, LRT-2 MRT-3, as well as upcoming MRT-7, MRT-4, and the North-South Commuter Railway.
To date, the entire MMSP has an overall 90.92% right of way completion, with 100% completion expected in June 2026.