The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is aiming to hold a demonstration run of the Metro Manila Subway by the first quarter of 2028 as part of ongoing efforts to finish the country’s first underground rail system.
In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the demo run will cover the subway’s initial section in northern Metro Manila, stretching from East Valenzuela to Quirino Avenue.
“Our target for the demo run—again, for the demo run—is the first quarter of 2028. This is different from testing and commissioning. For this phase, our train coaches will operate along the rail tracks from the East Valenzuela subway depot all the way to Quirino Station in Quezon City. This will be the first phase, which the public can expect by the first quarter of 2028,” Lopez said.
The Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) broke ground in 2019. Once completed, the MMSP will feature 17 stations and a 30.34-hectare depot that will also house the Philippine Railway Institute.
The project involves building a 33-kilometer railway line connecting Valenzuela City to Pasay City, with a spur line leading to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The 17 stations under the MMSP are Valenzuela, 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.
Asked about the overall status of the subway project, Lopez said construction progress stood at around 26% as of November 2025.
The Metro Manila Subway, estimated to cost P488.5 billion as of September 2025, will require about five more years to complete, based on DOTr projections.
“As of November 2025, the entire Metro Manila Subway is more or less 26% complete. Subway construction is complex. You have tunnel boring machines and extensive work inside the tunnels. Essentially, almost everything has to be done underground,” Lopez said.
“Based on our calculations and the available budget, we expect full operations by 2032, or possibly by the last quarter of 2031. This refers to the entire stretch from Valenzuela all the way to NAIA,” he added.
Lopez said the DOTr is working to resolve the remaining right-of-way (ROW) issues by the second quarter of 2026. Earlier this month, the agency reported that it has already acquired 90.76% of the required right-of-way properties for the subway’s construction.
Once completed, Lopez said the MMSP is expected to serve around 300,000 to 400,000 passengers daily.
The MMSP is also designed to integrate with other rail systems: the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) through the Common Station; the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) at Anonas Station; and a physical connection to the North-South Commuter Railway Extension (NSCR-Ex) at the FTI and Bicutan stations.
