Hopes for the completion of the common station to connect the LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 might be in limbo after the DoTR terminated its contract with BF Corporation and Foresight Development and Surveying Company (BFC-FDSC) Consortium due to excessive delays. BF Corporation secured the contract back in 2019 but faced multiple setbacks.

“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. While the status of the common station is uncertain, Dizon promised that they will find ways to accelerate its construction so that commuters can benefit from it.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to balance everything, the government’s shortcomings, the contractors shortcomings, and at the end we’ll find a solution,” Dizon said.

Prior to the delays encountered with BF Corporation, the common station project has faced multiple delays in the past. It was originally proposed in 2009, but disputes over the station’s location and concerns from key stakeholders delayed it. Construction was supposed to start in 2017 after SM Prime Holdings, Ayala Corp, San Miguel Corporation, and Metro Pacific Investments signed a Memorandum of Agreement and agreed to place the common station in North EDSA.

The opening was slated to 2022 but was moved to May 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was postponed anew since then, with DOTR citing technical issues. The common station is important in providing seamless transfers between the MRT-3, LRT-1, MRT-7, and Metro Manila Subway to give commuters added convenience when they are going around Metro Manila.