DOTC to formalize Trinoma as MRT-LRT common station (By Lawrence Agcaoili, The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is set to formalize the location of the common station for the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) and Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1) at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

DOTC undersecretary Rene Limcaoco said the agency would issue a bid bulletin naming the Trinoma Mall owned by property giant Ayala Land Inc. as the site of the proposed P1.4 billion common station.

“We’re going to announce it in an special bid bulletin, but it’s most probably in Trinoma,” Limcaoco said.

Earlier, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the government could save as much as P1 billion if the MRT-LRT common station is constructed near the Trinoma Mall instead of the earlier planned SM City North Edsa.

“Primarily, the cost, it’s a billion less,” Limcaoco replied when asked why the agency picked the Trinoma Mall over the SM City North Edsa.

It would be recalled that the DOTC originally picked SM North Edsa as the site of the proposed common station but later revised the plan and transferred the site near Trinoma.

Mall giant SM Prime Holdings Inc. of retail magnate Henry Sy already paid P200 million to state-run Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) for the naming rights of the common station.

SM Prime could keep its naming rights despite the transfer of the station to Trinoma.

The DOTC is looking at completing the bidding and awarding of the contract for the project within the first half of the year so that construction would start in the third quarter.

The DOTC hopes to complete the proposed common station by the third quarter of 2015.

The project would involve a turn-back system between the SM City North Edsa and Trinoma malls to serve as an area where trains would maneuver to change directions.

The station would serve as a common platform to interconnect LRT1 that runs from Baclaran to Roosevelt, the MRT 3 that traverses EDSA from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, and the proposed MRT 7 of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation that would run from Caloocan City and pass through Lagro and Fairview, Novaliches, Batasan, Diliman, Philcoa, before ending at Edsa near SM City North EDSA.

The proposed common station was one of the seven major infrastructure projects worth P184.2 billion approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board chair by President Aquino last November 21.