Manila (VNA) - ThePhilippines' goal of making its first underground railway Metro Manila Subway fullyoperational in 2025 may increase the total costs, local transport analysts said.
The groundbreaking of the 365-billion-PHP(7.1 billion USD) project, which spans 36 km, took place in late February thisyear, aiming to ease traffic jams in the capital city of Manila. Its first threestations are expected to open in 2022, with the full operation of all 15stations scheduled for 2025.
Transport analysts said that itis technically possible for the project to finish by 2025, however, it wouldincrease the total costs.
Japan has committed a financialaid worth 104.53 billion JPY (942 million USD) for the first phase of thesubway project. A Japanese-Philippine consortium will build the first threestations and a depot.
Government officials told a newsconference last month that they are confident about completing the subwayproject on time.
The idea of building a subwaysystem in Manila was first initiated by Japan in the 1970s. Traffic jams in Manilacauses the economy to lose an estimated 3.5 billion PHP a day.-VNA
