By Marie Manalili

A substation that will supply electricity to the Metro Manila Subway project (MMSP) was formally opened in a groundbreaking ceremony at the Valenzuela depot in Barangay Ugong on Monday.

Mitsubishi Corp. General Manager for Railway in Philippines Kenta Hayashi said in his speech that the Contract Package 10 Bulk Supply Substation (BSS) "will provide the essential power requirement for the depot, all station along the railway line, and the train operation throughout network".

"Today marks (a) significant milestone for Mitsubishi Corporation and its partners Colas Rail, Egis, Hitachi Rail under contract CP106". Hayashi said.

"Following this milestone we anticipate in early 2026 the start of all other railway subsystem works in the depot as well as in the tunnel leading to North Avenue Station and beyond", Hayashi added.

Colas Rail CP106 Power Supply Manager Matthieu Chaevalier said the Bulk Supply Substation "is the backbone of the energy supply of the railway line".

"It will allow us to step down power from 115 kV to 34.5kV power that will eventually feed the depot, its technical rooms, and the entire railway line", Chaevalier said.

The construction of the CP106 BSS is expected to finish by May 2027. It is supplied by two Japanese suppliers Hitachi and Meidensha.

The construction of the 33-kilometer subway began following a ground-breaking ceremony in Valenzuela in February 2019. Its partial operation was delayed to 2032, far behind its initial schedule as it was supposed to be fully operational by 2025, according to a previous interview by Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.

The project, which is funded by Japan and the Philippine governments, costs a total of P488.5 billion of which P370.7 billion will be financed through an ODA loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), while P117.7 billion will be covered by the Philippine government.

Among the attendees of the groundbreaking ceremony were Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, Embassy of Japan First Secretary Masashi Ide, Interim Business Manager of the Embassy of France Amos Reichman, JICA Representative Rei Date, Assistant Transportation Secretary for Railways Eduardo Danilo Macabulos, and Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie Gatchalian. Marie Manalili/DMS.