DOTr signs P2.8-B design and building deal for portion of central railway hub

The country’s largest railway station that will serve as a centralized hub for four railway lines, including the planned Metro Manila subway, will be opened by late 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

The target, which was pushed back at least twice, was revealed yesterday as the DOTr signed the P2.8-billion design and build contract for its portion of the station, another component of which was also being built by the Ayala Group.

The railway common station—restyled as the Unified Grand Central Station—will rise near the corner of Edsa and North Avenue in Quezon CIty.

It will link Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3), Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1), MRT 7 to Bulacan and the subway system from Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Timothy John Batan, undersecretary for railways at the DOTr, said as many as 1.2 million passengers would use the station daily.

The government signed the contract for the so-called “Area A” with a venture led by BF Corp., owned by the family of Rep. Bayani Fernando.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said construction of Area A, which covered the link between MRT 3 and LRT 1, would take 20 months to finish.

“It will be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2020,” Tugade said.

Ayala’s portion of the common station, which covers the 14,000-square-meter concourse, and San Miguel Corp.’s MRT 7 project will also be finished by 2020.