Construction of North Avenue Common Station structure slated to be completed by end of March

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



After more than 15 years since its approval by the NEDA Investment Coordination Committee in December 2006, construction of the North Avenue Common Station structure in Quezon City is slated to be completed by end of March this year, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade stated.Tugade made the statement during his site inspection of the Common Station on Thursday, 03 March 2022. The transportation chief was accompanied by Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, JICA Chief Representative Eigo Azukizawa, BF Corporation CEO Marides Fernando, other transport officials, and private sector partners, to check on the progress of the project.

The inspection consisted of a walkthrough of the Common Station, which saw significant and fast-paced improvements since Secretary Tugade’s last inspection in December 2021. To date, the Station Building of Area A is now connected to Area B or the Atrium, which is now 100% complete.

The 13,700 square meter concourse area will interconnect four major railway lines: LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and soon, the Metro Manila Subway Project.

"Notwithstanding the fact that I did not close EDSA to traffic, notwithstanding the fact that I did not suspend or realign the operations of the MRT-3, the construction of the Common Station’s building structure will be completed by end of March," Secretary Tugade said.

Targeted to start operations by July 2022, Secretary Tugade ordered commencement of operations at an earlier date, “without sacrificing quality of work and reasonability of cost”.

"I will henceforth, until my term ends, inspect and make sure that the electromechanical system will also be in place so that this Common Station – a long-time dream of the Filipino people – will come into reality. I hope it can be done during the term of President Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Secretary Tugade said.

Meanwhile, the project’s contractor, BF Construction, assured to meet the timeline set by Secretary Tugade with non-stop construction works to complete the project. At present, BF Construction CEO Marides Fernando said the concreting of the platform level, where the MRT-3 and LRT-1 lines are set to merge, is now ongoing.

"Today, we are very pleased to welcome Secretary Tugade. You can see that the status of the [station] building is well on its way and we are rushing; 24/7 work is going on here at the station to complete it as per the Secretary's schedule," said Fernando.

For his part, Ambassador Kazuhiko, who earlier rode the MRT-3 from the Ayala Station going to the inspection site at North Avenue, lauded the relentless efforts of the DOTr to improve mobility and connectivity in the country.

“So, in the near future, I can change from the MRT-3 to the LRT-1 and MRT-7 or Metro Manila Subway via this Common Station. And I can go anywhere in a short time period. Needless to say that railway connectivity is indispensable for efficient transport. That’s why the opening of this Common Station will offer a significant level of comfort to use these railways,” Ambassador Kazuhiko said.

Once operational, the Common Station can accommodate almost 500,000 passengers daily.

About "WazzupPilipinas.com"

WazzupPilipinas.com is the fastest growing and most awarded blog and social media community that has transcended beyond online media. It has successfully collaborated with all forms of media namely print, radio and television making it the most diverse multimedia organization. The numerous collaborations with hundreds of brands and organizations as online media partner and brand ambassador makes WazzupPilipinas.com a truly successful advocate of everything about the Philippines, and even more since its support extends further to even international organizations including startups and SMEs that have made our country their second home.