MANILA -- After being stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Transportation and private stakeholders broke ground on Monday for the construction of the Taguig City Integrated Terminal Exchange (TCITX).

The TCITX, which is similar to the existing Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), is expected to be finished in 2027, and to start operations by early 2028.

Once completed, the mega transport hub is expected to cater to 160,000 commuters and 5,200 vehicles daily.

It will offer a seamless travel experience for commuters as it will be connected to the North-South Commuter Railway, (NSCR) which travels from Clark to Calamba, Laguna as well as the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).

"The TCITX is a public-private partnership project envisioned to be a multi-modal terminal to be constructed in more than 5 hectares of land," said Usec. Jesus Ferdinand Ortega, DOTR undersecretary for road sector.

The six-storey building will rise in the Arca South site in Taguig City, and will serve provincial, city buses as well as smaller modes of transport.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said it would make transportation a different experience, especially those from the south.

"Siguro dapat mas maraming spaces for passengers, I'm sure yung developers will learn from experience of PITX. Pero yung nakita niyo, yun na ang design," he said.

(It should have more spaces for passengers. I'm sure the developers will learn from the experience of PITX. But what you saw is already the design of its exterior.)

The project is a public-private partnership between the Philippine government and the private sector, led by AyalaLand.

Anna Ma. Margarita Dy, President and CEO of Ayala Land Inc., said they already have experience in developing transport hubs after unveiling One Ayala Terminal, which made commuting easier to and from the central business district of Makati.

The project costs around P5 billion.

Meanwhile, Bautista said a feasibility study was underway for a similar transport terminal in the northern cities of NCR.

"Yung sa north, we are preparing the feasibility study, and we're looking for a suitable site. Pero yung North Terminal Exchange, it's similar as big as this," Bautista said.