The long-delayed Unified Grand Central Station, or Common Station, is back on track after the Economy and Development (ED) Council approved changes to the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) South Extension Project, clearing a key hurdle to complete Metro Manila's biggest rail interchange.

Approved during the Council's 10th meeting on Wednesday, chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the variation order authorizes additional works needed to bring the transport hub into operation.

These include station completion, viaduct construction, railway systems, signaling, and the integration of the Automatic Fare Collection System.

The Common Station will connect LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7, with a future link to the Metro Manila Subway, allowing passengers to transfer seamlessly across the capital's major rail lines. Interim operations are targeted for March 2028.

The approval follows months of efforts by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to revive the project after terminating its design-and-build contract with the BFC-FDSC Consortium in March last year due to slow progress.

To keep construction moving, the DOTr tapped LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) and Japan's Sumitomo Corp. to take over portions of the remaining work. It also sought approval from the ED Council to revise the project's cost and implementation arrangements, particularly LRMC's expanded role.

Designed to serve up to 1.5 million passengers a day, the Common Station is expected to become the country's largest rail interchange and a key link in Metro Manila's expanding mass transit network.

Separately, the ED Council approved the Philippine Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Master Plan 2026–2033, which sets the Department of Information and Communications Technology's roadmap to position the Philippines as a regional hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure and innovation.

It also approved revisions to the Philippine Seismic Risk Reduction and Resilience Project to strengthen the safety and resilience of selected public school buildings in Metro Manila.

“As we aim to sustain our upper-middle-income status, one critical aspect is to ensure that we equip Filipinos with the skills aligned with the needs of high-quality jobs.

We will maximize this project to build our competitive workforce moving forward,” Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

“Together, these initiatives strengthen the foundations of long-term growth by improving connectivity, developing human capital, enhancing clean energy, disaster resilience, and advancing digital transformation.”