Metro Manila — After 8 years of delay, the motions of construction for the Common Station shall finally begin.
At the groundbreaking ceremony in Quezon City early today, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade expressed his gratitude to the private sector for setting aside differences for the common good.
“Without them, wala ito. Itinabi nila ang kanilang interes pang-kumpanya para sa interes ng taumbayan,” said Tugade.
He also said that building the Common Station is proof that the government puts public convenience and common benefit at front and center. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, representing President Duterte, said the Common Station is a “great gift to the riding public.”
The Common Station will connect the four main lines in Metro Manila: MRT-3, LRT-1, MRT-7, and the soon to be constructed Metro Manila Subway. At 13,700 square meters, the Common Station will have a spacious concourse area that will facilitate seamless transfer of passengers from one line to another. It will be built between SM North EDSA and Trinoma.
Road to Groundbreaking
It took eight years and three administrations before the Common Station, originally known as the North Extension Project, could be built. The project hit a deadlock after parties involved failed to identify and agree on a common location.
Malabon Representative Ricky Sandoval of the Committee on Appropriations recalled the many roadblocks that the project had to go through.
“Napakatindi ng pinagdaanan nito sa Kongreso. Napakaraming bumatikos dito. Ngayon lamang po ito nangyari sa pamumuno ni Sec. Tugade. We have successfully defended their budget and we believe that this is the right location,” said Sandoval.
In September 2016, a Term Sheet outlining the general principles of the agreed location was signed. Extensive discussions among the parties ensued and a Memorandum of Agreement was finally signed in January 2016, which covers design parameters, service level requirements, and the parties’ responsibilities and contributions to the project.
“Kaakibat sa usapan ng Common Station ang gulo na pinagdaanan nito. Pero nitong nakaraang taon, nagkasundo sila na magkaisa at mag-buklod diwa. Naayos ang mga kaso. Nagkasundo sila sa lokasyon,” Tugade said.
Commitment for the common good
The private shareholders — SM Prime Holdings Inc., Ayala Land Inc., San Miguel Corp., and the Light Rail Manila Corporation — were all represented in the groundbreaking ceremony.
Each made a commitment to follow timelines and deliver the Common Station on schedule.
“Alam ko napakahirap ng butas na sinuong ng DOTr sa signing pa lang, but now we have the groundbreaking. Congratulations to Sec. Tugade for this is going to be a game changer for mass transport in Metro Manila,” said Rogelio Singson, President and CEO of LRMC.
Singson also said that the location is ideal for the expected volume of passengers. Passengers of LRT-1, of which LRMC is a shareholder, can now travel from Quezon City to Baclaran in under an hour. And when the extension project is compeleted, passengers from Cavite may reach Quezon City in an hour.
“The Common Station will provide safety and convenience to hundreds of thousands of passengers. We are glad to be a step closer to completion and we promise to go full blast with construction,” said Bobby Dy, President and CEO of ALI.
Ayala committed to start construction by next month.
“We have been waiting for this for so long. We will make sure we will follow timelines,” said Manuel Bonoan of San Miguel.
Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar, Light Rail Transit Authority Administrator Reynaldo Berroya, MRT-3 General Manager Rodolfo Garcia, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista were all present at the ceremony. Ayala Corporation’s President and CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala and SMPHI President Jeffrey Sy Lim were also present.
Design and benefits
The Common Station’s project cost of PHP2.8 billion will go into building part of the much larger concourse area, which is necessary in order to accommodate expected increase in ridership in the coming years especially with the pending completion of MRT-7 (North EDSA – San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan), LRT-1 Extension to Cavite, and the Subway (Mindanao Avenue – NAIA). The Common Station is expected to serve approximately 478,000 passengers daily by 2020.
The design also ensures a defined level of service by all parties, convenient walk in the platform, bigger space, and connection between two major malls.
The project will also deliver dual tracks for LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 for increased operational efficiency. The ground level of the Common Station will service road-based PUVs for intermodal interoperability. This will allow not only seamless railway-to-railway transfers, but also seamless railway-to-bus-to-jeep-to-AUV transfers. (DOTr-PR)
