Construction has officially begun on the Metro Manila Subway Project’s (MMSP) NAIA Terminal 3 Station following a groundbreaking ceremony led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Covered under Contract Package 109 (CP109), the milestone marks the start of civil works for the 2.413-kilometer underground segment connecting Taguig City and Pasay City, providing the country’s main airport gateway with its first direct mass rail link.
The project introduces advanced subterranean engineering to the Philippines through the use of underpinning. This established Japanese technology allows workers to build tunnels and support structures directly beneath existing NAIA Expressway (NAIAX) piers without compromising structural integrity or disrupting elevated highway traffic above.
“Our people need a mass public transport system that gives them a real alternative. One that is efficient, dependable, and connected to the places where we live, study, work, and travel. Our investors and tourists need to know that they can rely upon a transport system that can bring them to where they need to be, and want to be in the most efficient manner that is possible,” stated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
A major factor enabling the immediate start of civil works is the full acquisition of the necessary land. Government agencies and private partners, including the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), and the City Government of Pasay, have secured 100 percent of the station’s right-of-way.
According to Transportation Secretary Banoy Lopez, securing the right-of-way allows the agency to fast-track construction, keeping the broader 33-kilometer subway network on track for its target completion date in the final quarter of 2031. Financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the full 17-station line is expected to cut travel time between Valenzuela City and NAIA Terminal 3 from over an hour to roughly 40 minutes.
“Itong NAIA station, ito talaga ang masasabi nating na this time may mass public transport papunta sa ating paliparan. This time, isang subway talaga ang magagamit natin. Napakalaking tulong po ito sa ating mga kababayan. Bilin ng Pangulo sa DOTr kailangang pabilisin ang ganitong imprastraktura,” Transportation Secretary Banoy Lopez said
Initial operational projections estimate the NAIA Terminal 3 station will handle approximately 70,000 daily passengers by 2035, growing to 74,000 daily users by 2045. Beyond easing local traffic bottlenecks, representatives from the Embassy of Japan noted that connecting mass transit directly to NAIA elevates Manila’s transport infrastructure alongside regional hubs like Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore.
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