LOCAL and foreign business groups expressed support for the government and some of the country’s biggest companies as they finally move forward with a planned common station project that will link Metro Manila’s three urban rail systems, ending nearly eight years of disputes.

The 13 business groups urged the government in a joint statement yesterday, for the “expeditious completion” of the common train station to link the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the ongoing MRT-7 rail commuter lines in a location that will conveniently serve the expected 1.5 million commuters.

“We fully support the MoA (Memorandum of Agreement) executed among the train operators of LRT-1, MRT-3 and MRT-7 and the Department of Transportation (DoTr) agreeing to the intersection of EDSA and North Avenue in Quezon City as the location of the common train station,” the group said.

The business groups that signed the joint statement were the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Financial Executives of the Philippines; IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines; Japanese Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Makati Business Club; Management Association of the Philippines; Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Inc.; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc.

On Jan. 18, the government and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Director Hans T. Sy, Ayala Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jaime Zobel de Ayala, and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) President and CEO Ramon S. Ang signed an MoA which among others detailed that the common station will be located in the middle of the original 2009 site in front of SM Annex and the 2014 location near Ayala’s TriNoma mall in Quezon City.

“The agreement is most laudable as it represents an important breakthrough of the almost decade-long impasse in the construction of a vital mass transportation hub in Metro Manila and coming so soon after the Duterte administration took over. The grand train station will finally close the missing link between the heavily used MRT-3 and LRT-1 as well as incorporate them with the recently approved MRT-7, whose construction is ongoing,” the statement read.

The business groups noted that the hub will be for the common benefit of the over a million daily commuters using the three train lines since transfer from one line to another will become “convenient and in a more pleasant environment.”

“The common station impasse must be finally solved. Now that all stakeholders from the public and private sectors have agreed on a solution, all remaining hindrances must be quickly set aside to clear the way for its speedy execution,” the statement read.

In 2009, the Light Rail Transit Authority and SM Prime entered into an agreement for the common station to be located at a junction near SM City North EDSA. In 2013, the DoTr — then the Department of Transportation and Communications — decided to transfer the common station to a site across the TriNoma mall, saying this will reduce construction costs. This prompted SM Prime to sue the government for breach of contract.

In July 2014, SM Prime secured a Supreme Court stay order stopping the transfer of the common station’s site to TriNoma. The high court in May 2016 refused the government’s plea to lift the order.

Construction of the 13,700 square meter common station project, which will connect LRT-1, MRT-3, and the planned MRT-7 from North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, is expected to start by December this year and is targeted to be completed by 2019, based on the Transportation department’s earlier timetable.

SM and TriNoma will have naming rights for the common station, the DoTr said.

The business groups in their statement yesterday also agreed with the new, expanded design for the common station since it will accommodate three train lines, including the MRT-7, compared to just two lines in the original plan. It will also provide double tracks to both LRT-1 and MRT-3 for reliability and efficiency of their operations, although the new design approved will cost more.

“We agree that the grand common station to serve commuters in all train lines — LRT-1, MRT-3 and MRT-7 be undertaken by the government through the DoTr, except for the respective areas assigned to the private stakeholders and concessionaires,” the statement read.

“The government, by undertaking the common station and underwriting its cost, would facilitate the implementation of this long delayed project. By doing so, it would be a judicious investment of taxpayer funds on a vital mass transportation facility to serve train commuters,” it added.

“Going forward, we trust the project will be undertaken with transparency and adherence to required bidding rules and procedures to secure the most qualified contractor and best possible cost,” the business groups said in their statement on Wednesday.

“We recommend the use of faster and less traffic-disruptive construction methods, such as pre-cast concrete sections for the viaduct as used in similar projects abroad,” it added.

16 March 2017
By Imee Charlee C. Delavin