MANILA, Philippines – Commuters up north, take note: A “state-of-the-art” station for the EDSA Busway will soon rise at SM North EDSA.

The SM North EDSA station will include a concierge, ticketing booth, and turnstiles for the automatic fare collection system. Ramps and elevators will also be incorporated into the station to serve persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, and pregnant women.

“The EDSA Busway Bridge and Concourse aims to provide safe, accessible, convenient and PWD-friendly walkways for commuters and pedestrians approaching the EDSA Busway stations and crossing EDSA from one side to another,” the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

Although the busway includes facilities for the implementation of the automated fare collection system, this will not be implemented yet as it is “still under further development” a transportation official told Rappler.

The target completion date for the station is July 31, 2024.

The project will be constructed by SM Prime Holdings in partnership with the DOTr Road Transport and Infrastructure, Department of Public Works and Highway, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and Quezon City government. SM Prime Holdings will shoulder the cost for the design and construction of the station.

“We will be establishing a convenient access to the EDSA Busway – right in the middle of overlapping transport infrastructure projects,” DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

Aside from the EDSA Busway, SM North EDSA is near the North Avenue station of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3). The mall is also close to the under-construction Grand Central Station, or Common Station, which will connect to the Light Rail Transit Line 1, MRT3, and the in-progress Metro Rail Transit Line 7 and Metro Manila Subway.

The current stations of the EDSA Carousel include:

• Monumento
• Bagong Barrio
• Balintawak
• Kaingin
• LRT1 Roosevelt / Fernando Poe Jr.
• MRT3 North Avenue
• MRT3 Quezon Avenue
• Nepa Q-Mart
• Main Avenue
• MRT3 Santolan
• MRT3 Ortigas
• Guadalupe
• MRT3 Buendia
• One Ayala
• Tramo
• Taft Avenue
• Roxas Boulevard
• Mall of Asia
• Department of Foreign Affairs
• City of Dreams / Ayala Malls Manila Bay
• PITX

On top of the SM North EDSA station, SM will also construct an SM Megamall concourse that will “complement the existing Ortigas-EDSA Busway station,” which is accessible through the MRT3.

Other stations on the horizon include the ASEANA EDSA Busway Station to be constructed by DM Wenceslao and the Macapagal EDSA Busway Station to be constructed by Double Dragon. – Rappler.com