Ayala Group open to Makati Intra-City Subway connection

MANILA, Philippines — The Ayala Group is open to having a subway station in its central business district as proposed by IRC Properties, the listed property company that is building the subway system in Makati, the country’s first ever subway project.

“Yes, we are generally open…of course (because) it is an infrastructure project,” Ayala Land Inc. president Bernard Vincent Dy told The STAR when asked about the possibility of connecting the planned subway to the MRT-Ayala Station.

A consortium led by listed IRC Properties, chaired by businessman Antonio Tiu, is planning a $3.7 billion Makati Intra-City Subway and it wants to have a station in the central business district connected to the Ayala-MRT Station.

But Dy stressed that everything would depend on the “final details.”

“What we’re looking for is a regional connection,” Dy said.

The proposed intra-city mass transport subway system will have up to 10 stations that will connect key points in Makati’s districts.

It is targeting to break ground in December and has already attracted four state-owned companies from China to build the massive network.

Tiu said the locations of the stations are still being finalized as it is still in talks with property companies, including the Ayala Group, for the possibility of being connected to the MRT-Ayala Station situated at EDSA corner Ayala Avenue.

Four state-owned companies from China have expressed interest to do the engineering, procurement, and construction of the subway system.

IRC submitted the unsolicited proposal to the City of Makati last May and is now ready to be subjected to a Swiss challenge after IRC received the go-signal from the local government.

According to the blueprint, it will connect key points in Makati City. If a connection with the MRT-Ayala Station is not possible, Tiu said another option is to start at the Makati Fire Station.

Other planned stations are the Makati City Hall, the Poblacion Heritage Site, the University of Makati, Ospital ng Makati and the other new business districts within the city.

The proposed subway system will have up to 10 air-conditioned, underground island stations that can accommodate up to six car trains, with a room for over 200 persons per car, Tiu said.

It is expected that over 700,000 passengers per day will be accommodated and served by the mass transport system.

Funding for the $3.7 billion project can come from a syndicate of loans overseas.

At the same time, Tiu said local banks have offered to provide peso-denominated long term loans.

The proposed transport system is seen complementing the mass transport projects of the national government as it would be connected to the MRT stations, the proposed Metro Manila Mega Subway, and the Pasig River ferry.

ALI, meanwhile, is already redeveloping the old Hotel Intercon area – which also includes the MRT-Ayala Station – into a first of its kind intermodal transport hub.