SMC wants MRT Loop to link Metro Manila and Bulacan airport

Interconnectivity between Metro Manila and its neighbor Bulacan will get even better, as San Miguel Corp. (SMC) plans to build an MRT loop linking the capital city to a planned aerotropolis in Bulakan, Bulacan.

According to SMC president and COO Ramon Ang, the planned airport express will be similar to Hong Kong’s highly praised MTR. Moreover, it will span around 200 kilometers connecting SMC’s proposed New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan to EDSA and various points in between.

The stations are yet to be decided, but the developers are envisioning a non-stop high-speed train that would enable 20-minute travel time between the Bulacan Airport and EDSA.

The cost of the MRT Loop is still being finalized. However, Ang said that it would already be part of the total cost of the airport project, which is estimated at $15 billion.

He also said that the company could start the operations of the Bulacan Airport as early as six years upon the approval of the $15-billion airport project. Ang is positive that the new airport will be a fast and viable solution to the worsening problem at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Furthermore, Ang is confident that SMC has the financial muscle to fund the project on its own.

“Funding is not a problem. We have a strong balance sheet,” he said.

Ang trumpeted the proposal claiming that NMIA “will be the most modern airport in the country and would be a real game changer.”

via Philippine Star / Iris Gonzales