DOTr ends common station contract over delays

MANILA, Philippines — Due to excessive delays in civil works, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has terminated its deal with the joint venture tasked to build the common station for Metro Manila railways.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, yesterday issued the notice of termination against the joint venture of BF Corp. and Foresight Development and Surveying Co. (FDSC) for the development of the Unified Grand Central Station in Quezon City.

Dizon made good on his promise early in his term as transportation chief that he would withdraw the contract over the joint venture’s failure to deliver the project on time.

With BF Corp. and FDSC gone, he said the government can move forward by restarting the procurement for the station.

Dizon believes the process can be accelerated with the help of either the New Government Procurement Act or the Public-Private Partnership Code.

“Now that we have terminated the contract with BF Corp. and FDSC, the DOTr can finally move on with the construction – and the next step is to expedite the construction so commuters can use this project,” he said.

Dizon found the delay unreasonable, especially as the Unified Grand Central Station was making no progress for more than a year now.

The project, once finished, will connect the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Lines 3 and 7 through a single station. The project will be particularly useful now that the MRT-7 is scheduled to be operational by 2026.

The Unified Grand Central Station is located along North Avenue where the LRT-1, MRT-3 and MRT-7 terminate. It would feature a concourse covering 13,700 square meters and an intermodal transport system underneath for commuters taking the bus or jeep.

Estimated to cost P2.8 billion, the project began construction in 2017 under then Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade, who Dizon worked with in the previous administration.

Under former transportation chief Jaime Bautista, the DOTr was supposed to open the project in 2023, but had to postpone it due to technical issues in line integration.