Taguig ITX transport hub make traveling more convenient by 2020

Earlier today, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) held the ground breaking ceremony of the soon-to-rise Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (ITX) together with private partner, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI).

The Taguig ITX project is a 6-storey building designed to consolidate several current and proposed modes of transportation in the future. The ITX will house passenger concourse, a centralized ticketing area, and several retail establishments. It will also feature a pedestrian walkway connection to the PNR FTI station and the proposed subway system.

Construction of the Taguig ITX will begin in the second half of 2018 with operations expected to start by the first half of 2020. Upon completion, Taguig ITX is expected to house around 4,000 buses and accommodate 160,000 passengers daily plying the south of Luzon, including Visayas and Mindanao.

During the ground breaking ceremony, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade announced that the two have agreed to waive the annual grantor payment, which would cost the government a total of Php 9 billion for the construction of ITX, paid to Ayala throughout the span of 35 years.

"Two things will be done -- the P277 million per year for the next 35 years will no longer be paid, saving the government, this country, no less than PhP 9 billion cashout annually... And two, from the start of its commercial operation, until the end of the concession agreement, Ayala Land will share 2% of their income from the commercial spaces in favor of the government," Secretary Tugade said during the groundbreaking of the Taguig ITX, one of the big-ticket infrastructure projects of the Duterte Administration aimed at further decongesting vehicular traffic on EDSA.

Tugade said that the DOTr has managed to come up with the deal after they engaged in discussions with ALI since last year that both parties have agreed to. No specifics however were detailed, but only that it was a win-win for both and even for the Filipino people.

During the ceremony, the Tugade was joined by other members of the BUILD, BUILD, BUILD Team including DPWH Secretary Mark Villar and BCDA president and CEO Vince Dizon. Other high level government officials who attended this morning’s ITX groundbreaking rites at the former NFA warehouse, FTI, Taguig City, include Taguig City Mayor Lani. Cayetano, Cong. Federico Sandoval II (Malabon), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra III, PNR Chairman Roberto Lastimoso and General Manager Junn Magno, NFA administrator Jason Aquino, and PPP Center Executive Director Boyet Pecson.

ALI chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala , ALI vice chairman and director Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala also graced the ceremony.

Department of Transportation starts Taguig transport terminal project

Going to other parts of the country via bus is going to get a whole lot easier.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) held the groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (ITX) this morning. This means that buses going to various provinces will be moved away from Cubao to this new terminal in the south.

The ITX is a public-private partnership between the government and real estate developer Ayala Land Incorporated. It is part of the administration’s “Build Build Build” initiative which seeks to finish several infrastructure projects by 2022, the year Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends.

Transportation is a big problem in Manila. Although the city has a train system, it only goes to certain areas and routinely breaks down. Major roads are also almost always congested.

If everything goes according to plan, the ITX will be able to take on about 4,000 provincial buses that currently pass EDSA and other major roads by 2020, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

The ITX will be built inside the 5.6-hectare FTI compound in Taguig and will be dedicated to buses going to and coming from South Luzon, the Bicol region, and the islands of Visayas and Mindanao. Once the ITX is built, buses from those areas will no longer enter EDSA ave and will park in the terminal instead.

The terminal will also be connected to a railway station in the same area.

According to DoTr, the terminal will consist of six floors and will have a passenger terminal, a centralized ticketing area, business establishments, and a parking area for public utility vehicles.

Now, who’s excited to go on a road trip?

Taguig transport terminal breaks ground

An graphic image shows how the Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange would look like when completed in 2020. INQUIRER / JOVIC YEE

Close to 4,000 provincial buses are expected to be taken off of Edsa and other major roads once the Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (ITX) becomes operational by the first half of 2020.

On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade led officials in the groundbreaking ceremony of the second integrated transport terminal meant to not only improve the public’s commuting experience but also decongest Edsa.

To be built in partnership with Ayala Corp., the Taguig ITX will rise inside the 5.6-hectare FTI compound. It will host the provincial buses going to and coming from South Luzon, Bicol, the Visayas and Mindanao.

A scale model of the Taguig ITX is displayed at the groundbreaking of the terminal at the FTI compound. INQUIRER / JOVIC YEE

The six-story building will have a centralized ticketing area, a number of business and retail establishments, and can accommodate an estimated 160,000 passengers daily.

Construction of the terminal is set to start by the second half of this year. To ensure better connectivity, the terminal will be linked to the Philippine National Railways’ FTI station and the proposed subway system. /cbb

More drinking fountains for LRT 1 passengers

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) has partnered with Maynilad Water Services Inc. in providing its riders with potable water as part of the company’s P500-million thrust to improve the services of the decades-old Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1.

Tuesday saw the inauguration of five additional drinking fountains in the railway line, bringing the total number of water stations to 10.

Now, more passengers have access to potable water at the Doroteo Jose, Tayuman, R. Papa, United Nations, 5th Avenue, Baclaran, Monumento, Roosevelt, Carriedo and Balintawak stations.

“We are very excited to partner with Maynilad for the GinhaWash program and hopeful to explore more locations for more drinking fountains for our passengers,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso said on Tuesday.

LRMC and Maynilad both aim to increase access to water, sanitation and hygiene as part of the improvements being made by LRMC for LRT 1.

“We look forward to more partnerships with Maynilad in the future, for a ‘biyaheng better every day’ experience for our riding public.” Alfonso added.

The private operator started implementing its P500-million station-improvement program in 2015. It is expected to be completed by end-2018.

Meanwhile, the DOTR, LRTA, LRMC and JICA on "The Detailed Design Study of the LRT LINE 1 CAVITE EXTENSION PROJECT Baclaran-Niog"

The existing LRT-1 stations from Baclaran to Monumento, while the North Extension stations Malvar, Balintawak, Roosevelt and Trinoma Common Station using the  "Architectural - Site Development Plan", as well the "Vicinity Map and Location Plan" and "Perspective" in their documents.

LRMC holds the concession for the operations, maintenance and extension of the LRT 1. It signed the agreement with the government on October 2, 2014.

The company will operate and maintain the oldest overhead train system in the Philippines for 32 years.

It is a company led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp.