LRT-MRT common station to rise between SM,

Trinoma
By Louella Desiderio (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 29, 2016 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines The common station linking the upcoming Metro Rail Transit Line-7 to the Light Rail
Transit Line 1 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 will be located between SM North EDSA and Trinoma malls in the
vicinity of EDSA and North Avenue, according to an agreement signed yesterday between the government and
major conglomerates.

Signing the agreement were Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, SM Prime Holdings Inc. president Hans
Sy, Universal Light Rail Corp. BV Ltd. chairman and president Ramon Ang, Light Rail Manila Corp. vice
chairman Manuel Pangilinan and North Triangle Depot Commercial Corp. represented by Ayala Land Inc. vice
chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

Tugade said the completion of the common station is expected in two and a half years.

We have come to an agreement, a groundbreaking, assuming the doables are done, the architectural and
engineering designs are done and agreed upon, hopefully we can ground break before the end of this year, he
said.

The signatories vowed to work together to resolve all pending issues on the common station to link the three
railways in Metro Manila.

LRT-1, currently operated and managed by LRMC comprised of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Ayala Corp.
and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte Ltd., runs from Roosevelt station in Quezon City to
Baclaran station in Paraaque, while MRT-3 spans North Avenue station in Quezon City to Taft Avenue station
in Pasay City.

MRT-7 being built by San Miguel Corp. subsidiary ULC will cover North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose
del Monte in Bulacan.

They will also work on a timetable for the design preparation, construction and commissioning of the common
station.

After the signing of a more definitive agreement/s among the stakeholders, SMPHI, the DoTr and the Light Rail
Transit Authority will forge a compromise agreement which

will determine the filing of a Joint Motion for Judgment to pave the way for the development of the common
station for the three railways

and have the temporary restraining order of the Supreme Court in 2014 lifted.

SMPHI sought for and obtained a TRO from the SC to prevent the transportation department, then headed by
Joseph Emilio Abaya, from transferring the common station near the Ayala Groups Trinoma mall from SM
North EDSA mall.

SM had entered into an agreement with LRTA in 2009 to put up a common station near SM North EDSA.
SM also secured naming rights to the common station following its payment of P200 million.

Abaya wanted to move the common station near the Trinoma mall, citing savings in construction cost and
convenience to passengers.

The agreement stated LRTA would not be obliged to return the P200 million payment to SM.

In exchange, therefore, DOTr and LRTA acknowledge SMPHIs naming and

interconnectivity rights to the unified station, as provided in the SMPHI MOA dated Sept 28, 2009, the term
sheet read.

Sy said SM is open to working with the other stakeholders on how to resolve the naming rights.

We agreed to support the whole thing. In terms of the naming, we have not reached that point, he said. We
are open to see how we can resolve that. Eventually, as we work out the details, we will resolve that issue also.

Pangilinan said he is hopeful the common station would be realized as soon as possible.

Ayala said the group supports the move to resolve issues on the common station, a critical component and
junction of the three railway systems to come together.

Deal reached: LRT-MRT common station between SM North, TriNoma

By Chrisee Dela Paz

Published Tue, Sep 27, 2016 3:55 PM

MANILA, Philippines It's final: The proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT)
common station will be constructed between SM North EDSA and TriNoma malls.

This is to end the impasse over the 2009 train station project, which hampered the construction of some badly-
needed mass transit infrastructure projects, like the MRT Line 7 (MRT7).

The compromise agreement between all stakeholders will be signed on Wednesday, September 28,
the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement.

According to the DOTr, the common station which will connect the MRT7, MRT Line 3 (MRT3), and LRT
Line 1 (LRT1) will provide a common concourse or atrium where train commuters can conveniently transfer
from one line to another.

The Department of Public Works and Highways also said there is "an underpass being built that will seamlessly
integrate with the common station."

The legal roadblock

The transportation department said this agreement will pave the way for the filing of a joint motion to the
Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order.
SM Prime Holdings Incorporated (SMPHI) in August 2014 obtained a Supreme Court order stopping the
transportation department and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) from transferring the location of the
common station to TriNoma mall.

The basis of the order was a September 28, 2009 memorandum of agreement between SMPHI and LRTA,
agreeing that the common station should be beside SM North EDSA, after the mall developer paid the
government P200 million for the naming rights to the proposed station.

Despite the agreement, the government in 2014 insisted that putting up the proposed common station near
TriNoma mall would result in "P1 billion in savings to the government" and benefit passengers as the Quezon
City government is establishing the North Triangle area as a new business district.

When Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade assumed office, he promised to get all stakeholders to reach an
agreement on the common station within his first 100 days.

A hurdle to infra projects

The department said in the statement that it was during a meeting last September 8 when SM's Tessie Sy-Coson
and Hans Sy, Ayala Corporation's Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, San Miguel Corporation's Ramon Ang, and
Metro Pacific Investments Corporation's Manuel V. Pangilinan agreed on the location of the common station.

On Wednesday, all stakeholders will formalize this agreement by signing a memorandum of understanding.

The issue of the common station's location has been stopping the construction of the MRT7 and design work for
the common station project that has been bundled with the P64.9-billion LRT1 Cavite Extension public-private
partnership (PPP) deal. (READ: PH's PPP thrust: Work in progress)

The MRT7's 25-year concession agreement, signed by San Miguel Corporation (SMC)-backed Universal LRT
Corporation (ULC) in 2008, calls for the common station to be located near SM North EDSA.

Meanwhile, the Light Rail Manila Consortium (LRMC), led by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and
Ayala Corporation, has a say in the design of the common station. Rappler.com

SC extends TRO vs transfer of MRT-LRT common

station
Published May 18, 2016 8:02pm
Updated May 18, 2016 7:43pm

The Supreme Court has extended a restraining order it issued against the relocation of the common station
interconnecting the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) from the SM City North EDSA
mall to the Ayala-owned Trinoma mall.

In a 22-page resolution, the high court's First Division denied a petition from the LRT Authority and the
Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) seeking to lift the temporary restraining order the
SC issued on July 30, 2014.
The TRO enjoined the LRTA and DOTC from proceeding with the transfer of the common station in front of
SM City North EDSA to a new site in front of the Trinoma mall in Quezon City.

[T]he Court cannot turn a blind eye to the serious implications of a change in the location of the Common
Station as previously determined by the LRTA, at the time that it was the lead implementing agency for the
project, to the new site chosen by the DOTC, as the present lead implementing agency," ruled the SC.

"It is to the benefit of the common good that the issue of the legality and propriety of the transfer of the
Common Station be threshed out in proper proceedings before work on the Common Station be allowed to
commence as such work cannot be undone without great, perhaps even immeasurable, cost to the public, it
added.

The SC stressed that a priority infrastructure project of the national government is involved in the case, within
the strategic framework of the transportation sector. If the transfer of the Common Station is not temporarily
enjoined, it may render moot or ineffectual any judgment in petitioners favor that the trial court might render,
read the SC resolution.

In the same ruling, the SC also deferred action on SM Prime Holdings Incs petition for injunction, until the
finality of any decision in a separate civil action filed before the Pasay regional trial court.

In June 2014, SM Prime sued DOTC and LRTA for violating a 2009 agreement to build the common station of
Metro Rail Transit Lines 3 and 7 (MRT-3, 7) and Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) in front of SM North EDSA.
But the lower court junked the plea of SM Prime.

The government bundled the LRT-MRT common station in the P65-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project
the biggest public-private partnership initiative of the Aquino administration.

According to DOTC, the common station was relocated after a study showed government can save P800 million
to P1 billion if the station is built close to Trinoma, an adjacent mall owned by competitor Ayala Land Inc.

Moreover, the DOTC earlier said the agreement with SM Prime expired in 2011 but the Sy-led developer
claimed there was no expiry date provided in the documents.

The P1.4-billion project will link LRT-1, MRT-3, and the proposed MRT-7 from the North Avenue station to
San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, via Commonwealth Avenue. APG, GMA News

- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/566778/news/nation/sc-extends-tro-vs-transfer-of-mrt-

lrt-common-station#sthash.16Zwb1zc.dpuf