I visited the Philippines in April 2026, and my main purpose was to ride the remnants of the South Main Line railway from Manila to Legazpi. Rather than backtracking to Manila, I got a flight to Cebu. These are my notes and observations on the various transport modes I took on this trip. Ninoy Aquino […]
manila
Bonifacio Global City – The Singapore of Manila, or the Manhattan of Asia?
Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is a planned central business district in the City of Taguig (one of the cities in Metropolitan Manila). I’ve seen it described as the Manhattan of Asia and the Singapore of Manila. Both of these descriptions sound hyperbolic, so I had to see for myself. I visited Manila in April 2026, and […]
Makati Intra-city Subway
The Makati Intra-city Subway (MkTr) is a proposed underground rapid transit line in Makati, Metro Manila. It was planned to be built under a public-private partnership program between the Makati City Government and a private consortium, led by Philippine Infradev Holdings. The line will have nine stations and 10 km in length. There will be […]
Unified Grand Central Station – Metro Manila
The Unified Grand Central Station (also called North Triangle Common Station) is an under-construction urban rail transit station in Quezon City, Metro Manila. This transport hub will connect LRT Line 1, MRT Line 3, MRT Line 7 (under construction), and the Metro Manila Subway (under construction). With four lines converging on the station, it will […]
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Rehabilitation
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport rehabilitation project (NAIA Rehab) is a proposal to upgrade the current airport of Manila (MNL). There have been various proposals over the years to renovate the airport, which is often listed among the worst and most stressful airports in the world. Debate on the future of NAIA came to a […]
New Manila International Airport (Bulacan International Airport)
New Manila International Airport (NMIA) is an under-construction airport that will become Manila’s second airport. The project site is located in the coastal area of Bulakan, Bulacan province, and is also referred to as Bulacan International Airport. The airport is about 35 kilometres north of the city centre of Metro Manila. The airport is being […]
Makati-Taguig Skytrain – Proposed automated people mover in Metro Manila
The Makati-Taguig Skytrain is a proposed automated people mover line that will connect the city of Makati and Bonifacio Global City area in Taguig, Metro Manila. The line (which has also been referred to as a monorail) will be approximately 1.87 km with two stations. It will connect to Line 3 and the Makati Intra-city […]
Future Manila mass transit system – Every urban rail line planned for Metro Manila
Metro Manila (National Capital Region) is served by three urban rail transit lines and a commuter line. There are four new lines under construction, and five more lines are planned or under consideration. This page lists current, under construction, and proposed mass transit railways of Metro Manila. This also includes every map showing what the […]
Manila trip report – 2022 edition
Beginning the mammoth task of reporting on transport and urban development in the megacity of Metro Manila. This was my first time back in Manila since starting Future Southeast Asia. Not having a Future Manila page on this site was a glaring omission for a site about urban development in Southeast Asia. Manila is one […]
Future Manila – Transport and urban development projects in Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (or Metro Manila) is the name used for the greater Manila area. Manila is comprised of 16 cities and 1 municipality that form the National Capital Region (NCR). When referring to Manila it could refer to Manila City (one of the cities of the NCR) or Metro Manila as a whole. Either way, […]
