 or common station for MRT 3-LRT1 and other rail systems that would be operating by 2027){kind=link}
IF PLANS DON’T miscarry, again, the (Grand Central) or common station for MRT 3-LRT1 and other rail systems that would be operating by 2027, would finally be realized between the SM North and Trinoma– both owned by the country’s largest tycoons.
The 17-year old common station would certainly bring comfort, convenience and a sense of pride to commuters, whose ease in transferring from one rail system to another would give them a feel of being in some developed world.
These same commuters, who currently take the MRT-LRT for going north or south to their workplaces and schools, currently have to pass through tight, unsafe, dark and muddy walk ways as a result of the ongoing construction of the subway system have no choice but to take this daily risk.
But with a well-lit, roofed common station, that is also envisioned to contain stalls for everyday needs and ready-to-eat food items at the commuters’ convenience (unlike shopping and queueing inside the malls) on their way home.
‘Despite some initial progress, construction slowed and then stopped altogether with the pandemic and the alleged failure of the government to pay the progress billings of the contractors.’
BID AWARDING
In a news release, the Department of Transportation said it plans to award the new contract for the building of the common station– which had stalled for reasons like legal and construction setbacks and right of way issues for the past two previous administrations.
Transport Secretary Vicencio Dizon said the government targets to complete the bidding process before December 2025 as it hopes to finish the project a year later.
“The goal is we want to award [a new contract] by this year so that by January, we recommence construction and finish by the time MRT 7 is operational by 2027,” he told the recent Infrastructure Forum of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP).
INORDINATE DELAYS
Construction work at Area A of the common station stopped in early 2025 after the government decided to terminate its contract with BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co. (BFC-FDSC), citing “inordinate delays” that have kept the major commuter hub idle for more than a year.
BFC-FDSC was supposed to finish the project in 2021.
The idea was first proposed during the Arroyo administration. However, the project was bogged down for years owing to legal disputes, right-of-way issues, and design and location disagreements, particularly over whether it should be built near Sy-owned SM North Edsa or Ayala-owned Trinoma, Business Mirror reported.
Two administrations later, all parties reached a compromise, leading to the partial awarding of construction contracts.
CONNECTION HUB
Despite some initial progress, construction slowed and then stopped altogether with the pandemic and the alleged failure of the government to pay the progress billings of the contractors.
“This is like 17 years already since it was first planned. We’re now finding the fastest possible way to continue and finish it finally,” Dizon said.
The hub, located at the intersection of EDSA and North Avenue, was designed to connect four major rail lines—the MRT 3, LRT 1, MRT 7, and the Metro Manila Subway.
Once completed, the 13,700-sqm Common Station will feature a centralized concourse with seamless transfers between rail lines and an intermodal transport terminal at street level for buses, jeepneys, and taxi cabs.