{
  "id": 11340896,
  "title": "Video: Tunnel breakthrough marks key milestone in $7-billion Manila Subway project",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/video-tunnel-breakthrough-marks-key-milestone-in-7-billion-manila",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T02:17:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/video-tunnel-breakthrough-marks-key-milestone-in-manila-subway-project-1.500694462"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Manila: The $7-billion Manila Subway project has reached a significant milestone as a tunnel boring machine broke through a concrete diaphragm wall, marking the completion of a southbound tunnel segment. This achievement, part of Contract Package 102, is the first underground rail system in the Philippines and will feature 17 stations with a total length of 36 kilometers. The TBM utilized fiberglass rebar in the diaphragm wall construction, allowing it to pass through cleanly without damaging the cutting tools, an engineering innovation that has garnered attention. The breakthrough occurred at Quezon Avenue Station, a key node in the underground rail line running from Quezon City to Taguig via Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The project, a joint venture between Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd. and D.M. Consunji, Inc., is largely funded by a $2.5 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with additional support from the Philippine government. With the southbound tunnel completed, construction will now proceed on the northbound tunnel and subsequent segments, with the first phase targeting completion in 2029 and full line extension to Ninoy Aquino International Airport by 2031.",
  "summary": "Manila: The Manila Subway Project, a $7-billion underground rail system in the Philippine capital, has hit a new milestone when a giant tunnel boring machine (TBM) broke through a concrete \"diaphragm wall\". The move marks the completion of a southbound tunnel segment from North Avenue Station in Quezon City, under \"Contract Package 102\". It forms part of the construction of the 36-km line slated…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}