PNR envisions modern, complete train terminals for commuters

Chairman Michael Ted Macapagal (second from left) talks to Dante Abando, president of Makati Development Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ayala Land, during a site visit of the terminal in Makati. Screengrab from the Facebook page of Michael Macapagal

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Railways (PNR) North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) can be patterned after One Ayala Transport Terminal that offers complete facilities for commuters, said PNR Chairman Michael Ted Macapagal.

NSCR can “take a page from the One Ayala [terminal] playbook,” said Macapagal in a statement on December 8.

He added that NSCR stations can be turned into “center of commerce, with condominiums, malls, and shops of all kinds in the immediate vicinity.”

Macapagal also envisioned housing subdivisions, entertainment centers, hotels, and tourist spots a little farther afield.

This vision came after Macapagal’s tour at the One Ayala Transport Terminal, where he said that the terminal is a good model for the government to emulate in its effort to minimize traffic jams.

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It can also be the basis on how train passengers can be provided with the necessities they need in the terminal.

But the official noted that NSCR’s purpose, for now, is to make every station a transportation hub where “commuters get off from public utility vehicles and motorists leave their cars on a parking lot so that they can take the NSCR train to their destination in either direction, north or south.

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“The Transport Hub where the MRT-3 is directly linked is connected to the shopping centers, restaurants, hotels and condominiums located in Ayala, Makati. Also connected is the EDSA Bus station, the EDSA carousel, P2P buses, UV Express and jeepney. There is also a private parking located inside the building. Truly a station that is at par with world standards,” Macapagal said.

One Ayala is located on the corner of Edsa and Ayala Avenue.

It is within walking distance of some of the popular shopping malls in Makati and high-end condominiums. The terminal has food stalls, shops, and automated teller machines.