DOTr to start construction of transport terminal in Taguig 

The multibillion-peso Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (TITX) is inching closer to construction as the government is now finalizing a deal that will remove the primary hurdle to its implementation, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a report by BusinessMirror.

DOTr and partner Ayala Land Inc. plan to break ground for the multibillion-peso Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (TITX) before the end of 2024.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the project, originally planned more than a decade ago, could finally begin construction as the government is close to settling land acquisition conflicts.

Bautista disclosed that the agency is finalizing an agreement with the Philippine Veterans Foundation, whose property lies within the planned site.

He said the primary hurdle has been the foundation’s inability to sell the land directly to the government.

“We cannot buy the land because the Office of the Solicitor General [OSG] disapproved the sale; we were told that the property cannot be sold to the government,” Bautista said.

According to Transportation Undersecretary Jeremy Regino, the OSG has proposed a right-of-way usage agreement instead of a direct purchase to avoid the complexities of a sale.

The TITX, envisioned as a six-story facility spanning 5.57 hectares within the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) compound in Taguig, will feature a passenger concourse, a centralized ticketing area, and retail spaces.

It is designed to accommodate 1,200 public utility buses and vehicles, with provisions for future expansion. Upon completion, the terminal is expected to serve approximately 160,000 passengers daily and house around 4,000 buses.

The TITX will also include a pedestrian walkway that connects to the Philippine National Railways FTI station and the proposed Metro Manila Subway system, positioning it as a crucial transport hub in the southern corridor of Metro Manila.

The project was initially approved in 2014 with an estimated cost of P5.2 billion.

The private partner will undertake the design, construction, and financing of the terminal as well as the operation and maintenance of the whole facility. The concessionaire can also undertake commercial development and collect revenues generated from it.