The Transportation Department said Wednesday it expects to complete the construction of the common station that will link Metro Manila’s overhead train system in Quezon City in 2019 after four of the industry’s captains signed an agreement on the location of the unified terminal.
SM Group’s Hans Sy, Ayala Corp.’s Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, San Miguel Corp.’s Ramon Ang, Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s Manuel Pangilinan and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade signed an agreement to build the common station for LRT 1, MRT3 and the planned MRT 7.
Under the agreement, the stakeholders agreed on the final location for the unified station for LRT 1, MRT3 and MRT 7, which should be in the vicinity of Edsa and North Avenue.
They also agreed to set a reasonable timetable for the design, preparation, construction and commission of the unified station for LRT1, MRT3 and MRT7.
The Transportation Department and the Light Rail Transit Authority acknowledged SM’s naming and interconnectivity rights to the united station as provided in its memorandum of agreement dated September 2009.
The Public Works Department assured that the underpass being built will seamlessly integrate with the common station.
“What we came today is to agree to support the whole thing. In terms of the naming, we have not yet reach to that point but we are also open to see how we can resolve that. But eventually as we work out the details, we will resolve that issue also,” Sy said during the signing ceremony.
“We are here with open minds,” he added.
Pangilinan expressed his desire to cooperate and get this common station realized as soon as possible.
“I think it’s a pleasure for us to be one participant together with these other groups in making this critical component and critical conjunction of three railway systems to come together,” Zobel de Ayala said. Ang also welcomed the partnership.
