After years of construction, the long-awaited Unified Grand Central Station, or Common Station, in North EDSA is finally getting closer to opening or at least, that’s the plan.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said a portion of the station could start serving commuters by the first quarter of 2028, while construction continues in the remaining areas.
And if it happens, this could be a pretty big win for commuters.

The Common Station is expected to make transfers around the North EDSA area much easier, especially for people moving between train lines, malls, and other transport options. The DOTr also said it has coordinated with Trinoma to provide a covered accessway connecting commuters to the MRT-3 station while construction is still ongoing.

Basically, walking less under the heat, and less getting soaked when it rains. The only problem? 2028 still feels very, very far away.

The project has been in the works for years, and its long construction timeline has already become a source of jokes and frustration online. Some netizens have even described it as “natengga”, making the latest target date feel less like an exciting announcement and more like another “okay, sure, we’ll believe it when we see it” moment.

Netizens also couldn’t help but ask: “Does this even look like a million-peso project?”

With all the years spent waiting, expectations naturally got pretty high. Some reactions online basically boiled down to: After all that time… this is what it looks like?

It’s giving “the construction took longer than the actual reveal needed.”

Of course, the real flex will be whether the station actually makes commuting easier once it opens. A fancy-looking station is nice, but a smooth transfer, proper walkways, good ventilation, and a setup that can handle thousands of commuters every day? Now that would make the wait worth it.

For now, the Common Station is still another project that has commuters asking, “When is this really going to be finished?” Hopefully, 2028 is finally the year.