LRMC set to take over Common Station project
A joint venture led by Ayala Corp. and Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific is set to formally take over the construction of the long-delayed Unified Grand Central Station in Quezon City by May, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.
Yet this takeover would not come with a new contract but would instead take the form of a “variation” of Light Rail Manila Corp.’s (LRMC) existing concession for the LRT 1 extension, acting Transport Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
Under the proposed structure, LRMC would be granted a longer concession period for LRT 1 instead of a separate contract for the Common Station.
“Instead of us paying money, we would just extend the concession by another five years, seven years in order for them to recoup their capital,” the DOTr chief said in an interview with the Inquirer.
Lopez said this approach reflects a more “realistic” financing structure, allowing the operator to recover investments without additional fiscal outlays from the government.
“Since we have an existing project with LRMC for the LRT 1 extension, and since the LRT 1 extension is connected with the Common Station, what we did is more of a variation,” he added.
LRMC is a joint venture of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., Ayala Corp.’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Sumitomo Corp., and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Investments Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd.
The Common Station project was originally awarded in 2019 to a consortium led by BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co., but its P2.78-billion contract was terminated in May 2025 due to delays.
Area A—which will connect LRT 1 to MRT 3—had been targeted for completion as early as 2021.
Completed by Q2 2027
Lopez said the contract variation must still pass the government’s investment approval process.
He is scheduled to defend the proposal next week before the technical board of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development’s Investment Coordination Committee. It will then be elevated to a Cabinet-level panel before reaching the Economy and Development Council, chaired by President Marcos.
Once the proposal clears all stages by mid-May, Lopez said LRMC could begin construction at the Common Station by the third week of the same month.
It is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2027. As of February, the station is 67.98 percent complete.
“We’re targeting the same time with MRT 7 because we’re going after connectivity,” Lopez said.
Once completed, the Common Station is expected to serve up to 1.5 million passengers daily from the four rail lines it would connect: LRT 1, MRT 3, MRT 7 and, eventually, the Metro Manila Subway.
MRT 7, a 22-kilometer line connecting Quezon City, Caloocan and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, is expected to serve up to 300,000 commuters daily.
The project is already ahead of the Common Station, with construction at 85.44-percent completion as of February.
