DOTr reviewing LRT-1 operator LRMC’s pitch to finish common station

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday confirmed that is has received an unsolicited proposal from Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1, to finish the construction of a common station linking Metro Manila’s railway systems.

“We have received it. We have received their [LRMC] proposal. We are currently reviewing it,” DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan told reporters at the sidelines of the Arangkada Philippines Investment Forum in Pasay City.

“Then, we will process it and our target is by the end of the year to agree with them on how they could help us in finishing the common station,” Batan said.

In May, the DOTr announced it has terminated the contract with BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Company Consortium to build the common station connecting LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7, citing “excessive delays.”

The Transportation Department, nonetheless, committed to finish the common station—which was supposed to be completed by 2021 but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown—by 2027.

Batan said the DOTr will submit LRMC’s proposal to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development Board for approval “since it’s a PPP (public private partnership).” — BM, GMA Integrated News