San Miguel Corp to build railway link to Bulacan airport

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is planning to build a railway system called MRT Loop that will have a link to the airport – patterned after the Hong Kong MTR –connecting Metro Manila to the proposed aerotropolis in Bulacan.

The elevated train system will extend 200 kilometers, connecting the SMC proposed New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulakan, Bulacan to EDSA and various points in between, said SMC president and COO Ramon Ang.

While the stations are still being finalized, the MRT Loop is envisioned to include a non-stop high-speed train that would allow fast connection between EDSA and the Bulacan Airport.

“In 20 minutes, you will be at the airport,” Ang said.

He said this would be something like Hong Kong’s famous MTR which connects the airport and the city, and gives passengers the option for faster travel through the airport express line.

SMC is still finalizing the cost, but Ang said this would already be part of the total cost of the massive airport project estimated at $15 billion.

Aside from the mass transport system, SMC will also construct a $1-billion spillway to drain excess water from Angat and Ipo Dams directly to Manila Bay.

This would solve the perennial flooding problem in Bulacan. “We need to finish the spillway in five to six years. Otherwise, it will destroy what we are building,” Ang said.

These infrastructure projects are intended to enhance the viability of SMC’s proposed Bulacan Airport. They are targeted to be ready in five to six years.

He said the company could start operations of its proposed Bulacan Airport as early as six years upon approval of the $15-billion project, making it the fastest and most viable solution to the worsening problem at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

SMC’s strong balance sheet also shows that it has the financial muscle to fund the project on its own.

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

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

Based on its blueprint, NMIA has the capability to have a total of four runways, with the first two already operational on the fifth year upon approval of the project. The last two runways will be operational by 2024.

To be developed on a 2,500-hectare property in Bulakan, Bulacan, NMIA can accommodate 100 to 200 million people.

Furthermore, NMIA will be capable of handling 60 aircraft movements per hour per runway compared to NAIA’s current runway capacity of 45 movements per hour.

SMC said its proposal cuts the construction timeline by half as it would not require sea reclamation compared to the proposal to develop a new airport off Sangley Point in Cavite.

SMC said the project would entail no cost to the government.