MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has terminated its contract with the construction and engineering consulting firms responsible for building the Unified Grand Central Station, a key project meant to link Metro Manila’s rail lines and ease commuter travel.
In a statement on Friday, May 16, the DOTr said it issued an official notice of termination against BF Corporation and Foresight Development and Surveying Company (BFC-FDSC) Consortium due to “excessive construction delays of the project.”
The Common Station Project is supposed to connect the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7).
BF Corp. secured the construction contract in 2019 but has encountered major setbacks since then.
“Now that we have terminated the contract with BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co, we can finally move on with the construction,” DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said.
He added that the next step would be to explore ways to accelerate the common station’s construction “so commuters can finally benefit from it.”
This isn’t the first time the project has faced delays. First proposed in 2009, it has dragged on for 16 years due to disputes over the station’s location, concerns from key stakeholders and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Construction was initially set to begin in 2017, with a target completion date of 2019, following a memorandum of agreement signed by firms including SM Prime Holdings, Ayala Corp., San Miguel Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments.
In 2019, the opening was moved to 2022, then delayed again to May 2023 after construction stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the DOTR announced another postponement, this time citing technical issues.
LRT-1 runs from Fernando Poe Jr. Avenue in Quezon City to Dr. Santos Avenue (Sucat) in Parañaque, with stations that connect to LRT-2 or MRT-3.
Meanwhile, MRT-3 runs along EDSA, from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay. MRT-7 is still under construction and is set to run from San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to the North Triangle in Quezon City.
Dizon believes construction of the common station could begin “immediately” under the New Government Procurement Act or the Public-Private Partnership Code.
