The construction of the North Avenue Common Station structure in Quezon City is slated to be completed by the end of March this year, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade said.
This is after more than 15 years since its approval by the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee in December 2006.
“Notwithstanding the fact that I did not close EDSA [Epifanio de los Santos Avenue] to traffic, notwithstanding the fact that I did not suspend or realign the operations of the MRT-3, the construction of the Common Station’s building structure will be completed by end of March,” Tugade said.
The statement was made during his site inspection of the Common Station on Thursday (March 3) which consisted of a walkthrough of the Common Station. The DOTr said there have been “significant and fast-paced improvements since Tugade’s last inspection in December 2021.”
He was accompanied by Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Japan International Cooperation Agency Chief Representative Eigo Azukizawa, BF Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marides Fernando, other transport officials, and private sector partners.
To date, the Station Building of Area A has been connected to Area B or the Atrium, which is 100% complete.
The 13,700 square meter concourse area will interconnect four major railway lines: LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and soon, the Metro Manila Subway Project.
Targeted to start operations by July 2022, Tugade ordered commencement of operations at an earlier date “without sacrificing quality of work and reasonability of cost”.
“I will henceforth, until my term ends, inspect and make sure that the electromechanical system will also be in place so that this Common Station – a long-time dream of the Filipino people – will come into reality. I hope it can be done during the term of President Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he said.
Meanwhile, the project’s contractor, BF Construction, assured to meet the timeline set by the DOTr chief with non-stop construction works to complete the project. BF Construction CEO Marides Fernando said the concreting of the platform level, where the MRT-3 and LRT-1 lines are set to merge, is ongoing.
“Today, we are very pleased to welcome Secretary Tugade. You can see that the status of the [station] building is well on its way and we are rushing; 24/7 work is going on here at the station to complete it as per the Secretary’s schedule,” Fernando said.
For his part, Ambassador Kazuhiko, who earlier rode the MRT-3 from the Ayala Station going to the inspection site at North Avenue, lauded the relentless efforts of the DOTr to improve mobility and connectivity in the country.
“So, in the near future, I can change from the MRT-3 to the LRT-1 and MRT-7 or Metro Manila Subway via this Common Station. And I can go anywhere in a short time period. Needless to say that railway connectivity is indispensable for efficient transport. That’s why the opening of this Common Station will offer a significant level of comfort to use these railways,” he said.
Once operational, the Common Station can accommodate almost 500,000 passengers daily. (DOTr)
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