The Philippine government is in discussions to secure an increase in loan funding for the construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT-4), which is expected to connect Ortigas to Taytay in Rizal.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan announced that the loan may rise to P100 billion, significantly higher than the original estimate of P59.3 billion established when the project was approved in 2019. The increased funding stems primarily from design modifications recommended during the project's feasibility studies.

Initially proposed as a monorail, the project has evolved into a metro rail system based on recommendations from Spanish design firm IDOM.

Batan noted that the eastern corridor of Mega Manila is heavily congested, necessitating a higher-capacity solution than the originally planned monorail.

In 2021, annual average daily traffic in Ortigas reached 185,699, with only nine percent of this volume being served by public transport options.

This congestion results in travel times of up to three hours along the Ortigas-Taytay corridor, a condition the MRT-4 aims to alleviate by cutting travel times to less than 30 minutes.

The financing for the MRT-4 will largely involve the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, with the loan agreements expected to be signed by the end of this year or early 2026. Subsequently, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to seek contractors for the project.

Batan indicated that the detailed engineering design must be finalized before the final costs can be determined.

The current plans outline a 12.7-kilometer stretch that will traverse multiple cities, including Mandaluyong, Pasig, and parts of Quezon City in Metro Manila, along with areas in Cainta and Taytay in Rizal.

Proposed station locations include EDSA, Meralco, Tiendesitas, Rosario, St. Joseph, and others, culminating at Taytay.

Originally, construction was slated to occur between 2024 and 2027, with the MRT-4 set to begin operations in 2028. However, the DOTr has faced delays in finalizing the type of railway infrastructure required for the rapidly urbanizing eastern region of Metro Manila.

Rizal province is also poised for enhancements in public transit, with ongoing studies to extend the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) to downtown Antipolo.

The DOTr is conducting a feasibility study for this extension, aiming to complete it by the year's end to evaluate potential ridership growth.

This initiative follows plans to add three additional stops to the east of the Antipolo Station.

Additionally, a separate P10.12-billion extension of the LRT-2 is underway to the west of Recto Station, which will introduce stops in Divisoria, Tutuban, and Pier 4.