3 giants to ink deal on common station

MANILA, Philippines - Conglomerates San Miguel Corp. (SMC), Ayala Corp., and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) are set to sign an agreement this month for the construction of a second common train station in front of SM City North EDSA.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the proposed second common station would connect Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1) and the proposed P63-billion Metro Rail Transit line 7 (MRT-7) of Universal LRT Corp. (ULC) owned by San Miguel Holdings Corp.

Abaya said a proposal has been forwarded to Light Rail Manila Consortium (LRMC) by SMC on the construction of the proposed common train station, which will be at no cost to the government.

According to Abaya the proposed second common train station would house both the MRT-3 that runs along EDSA as well as the MRT-7 that stretches until Bulacan.

On the other hand, he disclosed that the LRT-1 that currently traverses Baclaran in Paranaque City all the way to Roosevelt in Quezon City would terminate at the first common train station in front of Ayala’s Trinoma Mall.

“Hopefully soon, hopefully January. ULC has presented the proposal to us and was also shown to LRMC. Our interest is to have it fixed, signed and done with,” Abaya said.

In 2008, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and ULC signed a contract to build the 22.8-kilometer rail system from North Avenue corner EDSA in Quezon City, passing through Commonwealth Avenue, Regalado Avenue and Quirino Highway up to the proposed Intermodal Transportation Terminal in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

The MRT-7 project is expected to carry two million passengers a year. SMC is in the middle of completing the financial closing for the project.

On the other hand,  the DOTC and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA)  signed the concession agreement with LRMC last Oct. 2 for the P65 billion LRT-1 Cavite extension project that would extend the mass transit system all the way to Niog in Bacoor, Cavite from Baclaran in Pasay City.

The lead member of the group is MPIC through MPIC Light Rail Corp. with a 55 percent stake followed by Ayala’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. with 35 percent and Macquaire Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte Ltd. with 10 percent.

Once signed, the DOTC chief said the proposed common train station would be presented to mall giant developer SM Prime Holdings for approval.