The Metro Rail Transit Line 8, or MRT-8, also known as PNR East-West Line, is a proposed

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

line in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It would be a railway system connecting

Sampaloc, Manila Sampaloc is a district of Manila, Philippines. It is referred to as the University Belt or simply called ''“U-Belt”'' for numerous colleges and universities are found within the district such as the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest ext ...

and

Diliman, Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

via Commonwealth Avenue,

Quezon Avenue Manuel L. Quezon Avenue, more often called as Quezon Avenue, or simply Quezon Ave (pronounced: ''Ke-zon-Av''), is a major thoroughfare in Metro Manila named after President Manuel Luis Quezon, the second president of the Philippines. The a ...

, and

España Boulevard España Boulevard is an eight–lane major thoroughfare in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, named after Spain, the country that formerly held the Philippines as an overseas territory. True to its name, several Spanish names abound the ...

. The railway line was formerly designated as ''MRT-9'', which has since been designated to the

Metro Manila Subway The Metro Manila Subway, formerly known as the Mega Manila Subway (MMS), is an under-construction underground rapid transit line in Metro Manila, Philippines. The line, which will run north–south between Quezon City, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, ...

)

Background

The right-of-way of Line 8 can be traced to the original MRT Line 4 proposal in the late 20th century. In 1999, the former Line 4 was to be located between

Recto Avenue Claro M. Recto Avenue, more popularly known as simply Recto Avenue, is the principal commercial thoroughfare in north-central Manila, Philippines. It spans seven districts just north of the Pasig River in what is generally considered Manila's o ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

and

Batasan Hills Batasan Hills is a barangay of Quezon City, Philippines. The barangay was originally planned as the National Government Center of the Philippines. The Batasang Pambansa Complex, which sits atop the Constitution Hill, is the legislative session ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was foun ...

. The proposed line was eventually renumbered as Line 8, with Line 4 redefined as the

monorail A monorail (from " mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accura ...

alignment between

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

and

Taytay, Rizal Taytay, officially the Municipality of Taytay ( tgl, Bayan ng Taytay; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. It is also known as the Garments Capital of the Philippines. Most occupation of the residents are relate ...

after its approval in 2019. An unsolicited proposal for the project was submitted to the Philippine government by Malaysia-based construction engineering company AlloyMTD group in 2016, and is awaiting approval by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). According to MTD Philippines, Inc. President Patrick Nicholas David, the project would cost ₱60 billion. It was then announced in 2020 that the line will undergo detailed design phase starting 2021. Construction would then commence the following year and the line shall open by 2027. A private company named Private Equity Investments and Development Corporation reported on its website on June 3, 2021 that the East West Rail Transit Corporation has sought French manufacturer

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Av ...

to be one of its partners. They are expected to be involved in the project as an electromechanical supplier. Another proposal, from the MRT-7, as part of its future expansion, will tread the same path with the exception of starting from West Avenue onwards towards Pier 4, instead of Quiapo. Like with the MRT-8, this proposed expansion from the MRT-7 are still pending approvals.

Stations

Line 8 would have 11 stations, all located in

Rolling stock

According to a November 12, 2020 meeting with barangay captains of Manila, the line will use 4-car trainsets. Due to a 2016

National Economic and Development Authority The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA; fil, Pambansang Pangasiwaan sa Kabuhayan at Pagpapaunlad) is an independent cabinet-level agency of the Philippine government responsible for economic development and planning. It is headed ...

(NEDA) directive, all conventional rail lines including Line 8 will use standard-gauge track.

References

Rail transportation in Metro Manila Proposed public transportation in the Philippines {{Asia-metro-stub