SM-Trinoma rail station a possibility

MANILA, Philippines - The common station that would link the Light Rail Transit Line (LRT)1 with Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Lines 3 and 7 would likely be located in between the SM and Trinoma malls.

John Eric Francia, president and chief executive officer of AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. said the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), San Miguel Corp., SM Group, Ayala Land Inc. and the Department of Transportation are currently in discussions on the common station to link the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) with Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Lines 3 and 7.

LRT-1 runs from Roosevelt station in Quezon City up to Baclaran station in Pasay City, while MRT-3 spans North Avenue station in Quezon City until Taft Avenue station in Pasay City.

The MRT-7, currently under construction, would cover North Avenue in Quezon City until San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan.

“We’re already discussing details of design, the terms, so it’s fairly advanced. There’s alignment already on this idea, the concept of the location,” Francia said.

He said the parties have agreed in principle to have one common station located in between the SM and Trinoma malls.

“It (location) is not really an issue so it’s a win-win for everyone,” he said.

Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said earlier he is hopeful the common station impasse would have a solution within the first 100 days of the new administration.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) under the previous administration proposed two common stations with one located near SM North EDSA mall and the other closer to the Trinoma mall, to link LRT-1, MRT-3 and the MRT-7.