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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Stock Market devider DOTr to award common station contract to LRMC by Q1 2026

DOTr to award common station contract to LRMC by Q1 2026

Published Dec 15, 2025 12:00 am  |  Updated Dec 13, 2025 05:37 pm
(Santi San Juan/MANILA BULLETIN)
(Santi San Juan/MANILA BULLETIN)
The government is expected to award the contract to complete the long-delayed common station linking Metro Manila’s railways to the private operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) in the first quarter of next year.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan told Manila Bulletin that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is now finalizing the contract for the Unified Grand Central Station, with the award scheduled between January and March.
The DOTr is poised to award the contract to Light Rail Manila Corp. (LMRC), which recently submitted an unsolicited proposal to conclude the project.
Batan did not disclose the value of LRMC’s proposal, noting that it is still undergoing further evaluation.
He said the proposal will first have to be submitted to the Economy and Development Council (ED Council), chaired by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., for its approval since it is a public-private partnership (PPP).
Batan said LRMC is the sole proponent to have expressed interest in completing the construction of the Unified Grand Central Station.
He noted that the company’s commitment remains firm, even as one of its major stakeholders had earlier considered selling its stake.
LRMC is a joint venture of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. (MPLRC), Ayala Corp.’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (AC Infra), Sumitomo Corp., and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Investments Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL).
Last month, business titan Manuel V. Pangilinan said he is considering selling Metro Pacific’s stake in the operator because of mounting losses.
LRMC’s potential assumption of the Unified Grand Central Station in Quezon City would be a sigh of relief for many commuters after years of delays that have hindered a project meant to make commuting in Metro Manila less stressful.
In May, the DOTr issued a notice of termination to the project's contractors, the BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co. (BFC-FDSC) consortium, due to excessive delays.
BFC-FDSC signed a ₱2.78-billion contract with the DOTr in 2019 for the construction of Area A of the Unified Grand Central Station, which was initially slated for completion in 2021.
The Unified Grand Central Station is divided into three segments: Area A, which links LRT-1 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3); Area B, which connects Areas A and C; and Area C, which serves as the platform for the under-construction MRT-7.
Once awarded to LRMC, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez told Manila Bulletin that the station is still poised to open before the end of Marcos’ term in 2028.
To be specific, the station is expected to be up and running in 2027, coinciding with the start of operations of MRT-7, another long-delayed project.
Located along North Avenue, the station would provide commuters seamless access to LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 through a 13,700-square-meter concourse.
Underneath the facility, there would also be an intermodal system for other public transportation options, including buses, jeepneys, and taxis.
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