Construction of Manila NAIA's first rail link to proceed in October.

Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is getting its first public rail link with the ground breaking for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) NAIA Terminal 3 Station. Construction of the station is scheduled to start in October. 

The ground breaking ceremony took place on September 16. Located beneath NAIA Terminal 3’s open parking area, it will be one of 17 stations of Manila’s first underground rail line connecting the Paranaque and Taguig area to Valenzuela City. It aims to reduce travel time from Valenzuela City to Pasay where NAIA is located by half, from 1 hour and 30 minutes on the road to around 40 minutes.

Image: Artist depiction of Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) NAIA Terminal 3 Station interior. Credit: Philippine DOTr

Scheduled for completion the last quarter of 2031, MMSP station at NAIA 3 will have a length of around 2.4 kilometers. The gross floor area is around 19,179 square meters, designed to accommodate around 70,000 passengers per day by 2035, and 74,000 by 2045.

The whole 33 kilometer line construction is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The total cost is around PHP488.48 Billion (~USD $7.78 Billion). During the ground breaking, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Said the MMSP project has achieved nearly 60% overall progress. 100% of the station-area right-of-way has been secured, allowing construction to proceed.

Among the 17 station along the MMSP, passengers can reach major districts of Manila such as Makati (Kalaayan Avenue Station), Taguig (Kalaayan Avenue Station /Bonifacio Global City), Mandaluyong (Shaw Boulevard and Ortigas), and Quezon City (Quezon Avenue).

Image: Map of Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) project. Credit: Philippine DOTr