Tugade: Common rail systems station complete by end-March

A grand central station connecting four of Metro Manila’s railway lines is slated for completion by the end of March this year, according to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

In a statement on Saturday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Tugade made the announcement during his site inspection of the North Avenue Common Station on Thursday, March 3.

The Common Station project is coming into fruition after more than 15 years since its approval by the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee in December 2006, according to the DOTr.

"Notwithstanding the fact that I did not close EDSA to traffic, notwithstanding the fact that I did not suspend or realign the operations of the MRT3, the construction of the Common Station’s building structure will be completed by the end of March," said Tugade.

Targeted to start operations by July 2022, the Transportation chief ordered commencement of operations at an earlier date, “without sacrificing quality of work and reasonability of cost,” the DOTr chief said.

"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,” Tugade added.

The transportation chief was accompanied by Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) chief representative Eigo Azukizawa, BF Corporation CEO Marides Fernando, other transport officials, and private sector partners, to check on the progress of the project.

To date, the DOTr said the Station Building of Area A is now connected to Area B or the Atrium, which is 100% complete.

The 13,700-square meter concourse area will interconnect four major railway lines, namely LRT1, MRT3, MRT7, and the Metro Manila Subway Project.

Meanwhile, the project’s contractor, BF Construction, vowed to meet the timeline set by Tugade with non-stop construction works to complete the project.

BF Construction CEO Fernando said the concreting of the platform level, where the MRT3 and LRT1 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," said Fernando.

For his part, Ambassador Kazuhiko, lauded the relentless efforts of the DOTr to improve mobility and connectivity in the country.

Once operational, the Common Station can accommodate almost 500,000 passengers daily, according to the DOTr. —LBG, GMA News