It will be part of the line that aims to cut down the travel times between Valenzuela in northern part of the region to just half an hour.
On Wednesday, September 16, the groundbreaking of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP)-NAIA Terminal Station at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 took place in Pasay City.
“Last February, we gathered to break ground on the Kalayaan Avenue and Bonifacio Global City stations of the Metro Manila Subway,” President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., who led the ceremony, said in his speech. “Seven months later, we are here to move another section of this project forward as we break ground on the NAIA Terminal 3 Station and its connecting tunnels under Contract Package 109.”
Contract Package 109 covers the underground NAIA Terminal 3 Station and its connecting tunnels between Taguig and Pasay, and will officially begin works in October 2026.
“That is why CP109 will also introduce advanced engineering methods to the Philippines. Its tunnels will require the underpinning of existing expressway piers, the first application of this type of technology for tunnel construction in the country,” Marcos stated, adding that the technology has been proven in Japan.
Speciifcally, the 2.413-kilometer NAIA Terminal 3 Station and Tunnels will employ a unique and well-established Japanese engineering technology known as underpinning, which will allow existing expressway piers to be supported and maintained while accommodating the subway tunnel alignment, according to the Department of Transportation.
President Marcos noted that another important milestone is that 100 percent of the station-area right-of-way has already been secured, allowing construction to move forward with greater certainty. “This progress reflects the cooperation of government, the private sector, and our development partners,” he also said.
The President also noted that for the entirety of the Metro Manila Subway project, there is already an almost 60 percent overall progress in works, with construction activities underway across much of its alignment.
Recalling his earlier pronouncement that the project places importance on every Filipino’s time, he said: “That remains at the heart of the work we continue today.
“Our people need a public transport system that gives them a real alternative, one that is efficient, dependable, and connected to the places where they live, work, study, and travel,” furthered the President.
The President said that many Filipinos still spend too much of their day on the road and as more vehicles fill the roads, it becomes clear that government cannot address congestion by relying on roads alone—making modernization of the Philippine railway system a priority of his administration.
PBBM said, “Every minute saved on the road is spent with loved ones, time to better ourselves, and time to be productive citizens. That is what projects such as the Metro Manila Subway must ultimately deliver.”
“We aim to make it easier for Filipinos, business people, and our guests to move around and to lessen the time they spend in traffic,” President Marcos added.
Once the Metro Manila Subway is fully operational, travel from Valenzuela to NAIA and vice versa is expected to drop from about one hour and 30 minutes to around 40 minutes, the President said, adding that this will also provide passengers with a direct rail connection to the busiest airport terminals in the country.
At the event, President Marcos also thanked the local governments for bringing this project forward, as well as the Government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their support for the Metro Manila Subway.
President Marcos said that the investors and tourists need to know that they can rely upon a transport system that can bring them to where they need and want to be in the most efficient manner possible.
For his part, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said that the NAIA station will mark the first mass public transport will be directly linked to the airport.
“Itong NAIA station, ito talaga ang masasabi nating na this time may mass public transport papunta sa ating paliparan. This time, isang subway talaga ang magagamit natin. Napakalaking tulong po ito sa ating mga kababayan,” Lopez said, adding that the entire Metro Manila Subway Project is on track for its target completion in the last quarter of 2031.
Including the North-South Commuter Railway, MRT-7, the Common Station, and other railway projects, President Marcos told that these would help address traffic congestion, reduce travel time.
“This project, along with other railway projects that we are currently undertaking, such as the North-South Commuter Railway, MRT-7, the Common Station, and our other rail projects, forms part of our broader effort to improve mobility and connectivity,” he said.
