Nope, they’re not playing with giant Lego pieces. This is a tunnel boring machine (TBM) – all of 700 tons, with 7-meter diameter and 95-meter length — the first unit to arrive on Friday (February 5), for use in the 15-station Metro Manila Subway Project funded with a Japanese loan.
Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa, joined by Secretaries Arthur Tugade (DOTr), Carlos Domínguez III (DOF) and Mark Villar (DPWH), and Presidential Spokesperson Herminio “Harry” Roque, welcomed the arrival of the tunnel borer.
Funded by Tokyo through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), the Metro Manila Subway will harness the power of TBMs to dig underground and lay tunnels for the 27-kilometer project.
The Metro Manila Subway will be the Philippines’ first fully underground railway system, spanning from Barangay Ugong in Valenzuela City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. It is seen to address Metro Manila’s congestion caused by poor road networks and the rising population’s demand for a more efficient public transportation.
