DOTr signs contract for the design and build of the Unified Grand Central Station (Area A)
There’s no stopping the construction of the Common Station, as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) formally signed the contract for the design and build of ‘Area A’ of the Unified Grand Central Station (UGCS), also known as the Common Station on 13 February 2019.
The Common Station, located at the north end of EDSA, marks the intersection of four railway lines – the LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and the Metro Manila Subway. It aims to provide a seamless transfer of passengers from one rail line to another.
The Common Station will feature a transit area for the riding public, operated by an automated fare collection system, which will give commuters better point-to-point mobility and comfort. It is expected to serve approximately 500,000 passengers daily upon completion.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade led the signing ceremony at the site of the construction, together with Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Reinier Paul Yebra and Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan who signed the contract on behalf of the DOTr. Meanwhile, Lucila Gomez signed as authorized representative of the BF Corporation and Foresight Development and Surveying Company Consortium.
“What is the value of the Common Station? Three things: interoperability, intermodality, and interconnectivity. Those three are key elements in making the Filipino life comfortable,” Secretary Tugade said.
With the location of the Common Station stalled since 2009, DOTr Secretary Tugade, in the first 100 days of the Duterte administration, met with all parties involved and got them to agree on a location.
“Alam niyo ‘ho, ‘yung Common Station, matagal na ‘hong inumpisahan ‘yan. Nung nag-umpisa po kami, nagkapit-bisig tayo kasama ang mga tinatawag na economic tai-pans at sinabi nila, ‘makikiisa kami sa inyo. Magsama-sama tayong bigyang buhay at bigyan ng katunayan ang tinatawag na Common Station na inaasam ng madlang bayan’,” the transportation chief added.
The Common Station is a 13,700-square meter concourse comprised of three areas: Area A under the DOTr, Area B under Ayala Land Inc., and Area C under the MRT-7 Project facilitated by San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Since the groundbreaking in 2017, Ayala Land Inc. has started the construction of Area B.
Area A is set to be completed by 2020, while the entire Common Station is expected to be operational by 2022.
“November 28, 2006 – ‘yan po ang petsa kung kailan naaprubahan ang konsepto ng Common Station. Fast-forward to 2019, and we are now closer to what we have thought of more than a decade ago,” DOTr Undersecretary Batan said.
The construction of the Common Station is one of many projects under the Build, Build, Build Program of the Duterte administration, with the groundbreaking ceremony for the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) scheduled on 15 February 2019, and the groundbreaking of the Metro Manila Subway on 26 February 2019.
“Groundbreaking is one thing. Completion of a project is another thing. If you do not complete the project with the quality expected and within the timeline formulated, I will hold you accountable in the books,” Secretary Tugade emphasized.
No comments:
Post a Comment