P3-B North Edsa common station to open soon

The P3-billion Unified Grand Central Station, also known as “common station” in North EDSA, Quezon City, will be completed this June after eight years of delays.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued the statement Thursday, June 16, with the remainder of the project now in full, accelerated construction pace just two weeks to go before the end of the Duterte administration.

Initially, the DOTr targeted to finish the project by the first quarter of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns set back the completion date.

Last year, the DOTr announced that the common station will be partially operable by December, 2021.

Project construction was supposed to have started in an area adjacent to the SM North EDSA way back in 2014.

SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) paid the government P200 million for naming rights to the station close to its mall.

However, the Aquino administration broke the contract and decided to build the station beside the Ayalas’ TriNoma Mall.

SMPH sued the government for breach of contract, delaying the project for three years.

In 2017, DOTr Secretary Art Tugade convinced SMPH, Ayala Corporation, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and San Miguel Corporation to withdraw their legal objections to allow the project to proceed.

The common station features a 13,700-square meter concourse area, which will seamlessly interconnect Light Rail Transit (LRT)-1, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) -3, MRT-7, and the Metro Manila Subway.

An intermodal integrated system will also operate below it, allowing leaving passengers of the common station to depart by bus, jeepney or taxi.

Once commercially operational, the common station can accommodate up to 500,000 passengers every day.

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The article was originally published in Manila Bulletin and written by Emmie V. Abadilla.