Makati is known to be one of the busiest and most crowded cities here in the Metro. Other than the fact that it’s home to hundreds of businesses, it’s also where a lot of entertainment and leisure time is spent. With that said, people who are not aware of how traveling to Makati is might not know the hassle, the effort, and the frustration every person experiences if they’re traveling in, to and from, and around Makati.
Read: Better and Faster Way of Going From Antipolo to the Airport?
Good news to those who live and work in Makati. The Makati City government released a plan that could be the solution we are yearning for for years now. The Makati Rail Public Transport (PRT) will become operational five (5) years from now. Also known as the Makati Subway, it is a 10-kilometer subway and will become the first intracity subway here in the country.
Just like Hong Kong and Singapore’s MTR, the Makati Subway will be able to bring in the transportation we Filipino workers are looking for.
Read: Future Projection of Railway Public Transport Around The Metro
We’ll have the chance to experience better, more efficient, and faster means of traveling. Would this $3.7 billion project be enough to answer what our country needs in terms of transportation efficiency?
As per the Makati City government, here are a few things you need to know about this project:
Other than the fact that the project is worth $3.7 billion, it’s also expected to accommodate a total of 700,000 passengers per day; that is a total of 27,000 passengers per hour in a day.
The expected and estimated time of completion would be in December 2023. They’ll start to plan and construct it in December of this year.
According to the city’s government, the plan is to have a total of twelve (12) air-conditioned trains in the first year of its opening. Each train will have an interval of three (3) to six (6) minutes. The following year, however, would have a total of eighteen (18) trains with an interval of two (2) to four (4) minutes per train. It will operate eighteen (18) hours a day. Hopefully, that is enough time to serve workers and commuters in and around Makati.
Read: Mindanao Railway Project to Kick Off in 2018
How many stations would the Makati Subway have?
According to the plan, there will be around 10 stations underground all over Makati. In addition, at least 30 entrance passageways will be there to serve passengers. In addition to that, the Makati subway will be placed in different strategic locations near landmarks such as:
- University of Makati
- Ayala Avenue
- Ayala-EDSA
- Poblacion Heritage Site
- Legaspi Village
- Guadalupe Viejo
- Guadalupe Nuevo
- Guadalupe Bridge
- SM Makati
- Ayala Triangle Gardens
- Pasig River
- Lawton Ave.
- Manila South Cemetery
- Makati City Hall
- J.P. Rizal Ave.
- Rockwell Center
- Makati Central Fire Station
- St. Luke’s Medical Center
- Ospital ng Makati
Since this is the case, we can expect that people will have easier access to other means of land transport. Not only that, the new Makati subway will also be connected to major means of transportation like the Ferry in the Pasig River, MRT-3, and the soon Metro Manila Mega Subway.
What can workers and commuters expect with the new Makati subway system?
Generally, there can be a lot to be taken from this new project by the Makati City government. However, it will benefit both the people and the way of transport not only in Makati but in other adjacent places like Ortigas, BGC, and the South. Here are few of the things that we can expect with the PRT.
Less pollution
The first thing that people will notice is that less and lesser vehicles will be utilizing the road. The traffic will eventually fade and the number of people on the streets will drastically reduce as well.
As per the Makati City government, once the railway is finished, it will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 2.3 million tons by the year 2048 arrives.
More jobs and opportunities for people
Since the Makati subway will need man power, they would have to employ a sufficient number of people. According to their targets, building and operating the Makati subway alone would have to employ around 6,000 workers for medium and small businesses. However, that still doesn’t include more and better job and business opportunities for Makati having an efficient mass transport system.
To add to that, there will be more opportunities in and around the city to further improve how the transport via the Makati subway works.
Safer and easier traveling
With the new railway system, residents and commuters in Makati can expect safer and easier means of traveling. It will drastically improve the condition of traffic in the business district area because people will choose to travel via the subway than the road for faster, better, and more comfortable means of transport.
Not only that, it can also give people the peace of mind that when they travel, everyone who goes in the stations are thoroughly checked by guards and security personnel.
Good for investment and real estate businesses
Adjacent to the fact that the transport improves is the growth and improvement in the situation of real estate. What does that mean? To give you a brief explanation, land values in the area would see an increase of around 20 percent due to the fact that the Makati subway is being done.
To further explain it, if you own a condominium unit in Makati City and the construction of the Makati subway begins or in the process, you can increase the rent that you ask borders or tenants since you have solid basis on why you are having an increase.
Better and improved productivity
With faster and more efficient means of travel, the entire city and the cities adjacent to it can see an increase in the productivity, overall. If we look at it at a bigger scale, the city of Makati can expect economic growth. In estimation, it is expected to have a $600 million annual increase in the Growth Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
Generally, this project will benefit 500,000 residents of the city. Not only through the transportation, but also by providing more jobs and opportunities, by drastically reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and by being a permanent resolution to the traffic we know of Makati today.
Hopefully, the Makati subway is the key to the everlasting problem of traffic our country has within its business districts. What do you think about this new railway project? Does the budget seem reasonable enough for the promises the Makati City government has?
