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Taft Avenue | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | EDSA, San Roque Pasay,Metro Manila Philippines | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Department of Transportation | ||||||||||
| Operated by | Metro Rail Transit Corporation | ||||||||||
| Line | MRT Line 3 | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 (1island) | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections |  EDSAE Taft Avenue E Tramo | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Concourse: All entrances Platforms: All platforms | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Station code | YL13 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | July 20, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-07-20)[1] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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| Out-of-system interchange | |||||||||||
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Taft Avenue station is the southern terminus of theMetro Rail TransitLine 3 (MRT-3) system located inPasay.[2] It is situated at the intersection ofEpifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), one ofMetro Manila's major thoroughfares, andTaft Avenue, usually referred to asPasay Rotonda orEDSA-Taft. The station is named after Taft Avenue.
It is one of five stations on the line where passengers can catch a train going in the opposite direction without paying a new fare due to the station's layout. The other four stations areAraneta Center–Cubao,Shaw Boulevard,Boni,Buendia, andAyala. Excluding Araneta Center–Cubao station, it is also one of four stations on the line with its concourse level located above the platform. However,crowd control measures at the station currently discourage passengers from switching trains at the platform level.
The station's location as a terminus has helped create many businesses in the area, fromhotels andmotels to restaurants and shops, with a good majority of them being a short walk from the station.
Taft Avenue station was first planned as part of the first phase of the EDSA Light Rail Transit III (EDSA LRT III) project, following aBuild-Lease-Transfer (BLT) agreement between theDepartment of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and EDSA LRT Corporation on September 22, 1992.[3][4] However, the project faced delays due to government investigations into the contract, and construction was postponed until theSupreme Court of the Philippines upheld the contract's legality in 1995.[5][6] Construction finally began on October 15, 1996 as the MRT III project, under a BLT contract awarded to theMetro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC), led by a consortium of local companies.[7]
During the line's construction in 2000, Taft Avenue station was notorious among Pasay residents due to the station and the part of the line in Pasay being built completely at ground level. As a result, many intersections along EDSA were closed, forcing people along the streets in the area to make long detours just to cross EDSA.[8]
In response,Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) stated that constructing the segment as an elevated railway was not feasible due to theDepartment of Public Works and Highways having already claimed theair rights above the line for the Tramoflyover project since 1996. Construction of the line continued amidst acease and desist order issued by then-Pasay MayorWenceslao Trinidad and city councilors threatening to filegraft charges against the MRTC.[8]
MRT Line 3 became operational on December 15, 1999; however, it was then operational only betweenNorth Avenue andBuendia due to the inclusion of additional work orders by theDepartment of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) that included the Tramo flyover project. Taft Avenue station was opened on July 20, 2000, extending the line's operation southward to the station, which serves as its southern terminus.[9][10] The station's link to Metro Point Mall was later added, as the mall was opened in December 2001.[11]
On March 8, 2025, an escalator at the station malfunctioned, injuring ten passengers. The incident led to the dismissal of Oscar Bongon as general manager of the MRT-3 after Transportation SecretaryVince Dizon accused him of conducting a slow response in having the escalator repaired.[12]
The station is connected to Metro Point Mall and Giselle Plaza. Winston Lodge and a branch ofHotel Sogo are two of the many motels found along EDSA near the station. The station is also the ideal stop for those continuing toNinoy Aquino International Airport andBay City includingSM Mall of Asia, Heritage Hotel,San Juan de Dios Hospital and College, andManila Tytana College (formerly Manila Doctors College).
Taft Avenue station is a major transportation hub. Many provincial bus lines, such asVictory Liner,Five Star Bus Company (serving Northern Luzon),Philtranco (serving Southern Luzon and the rest of the Philippines), andGenesis Transport (serving the provinces ofBataan andLa Union), have bus terminals near the station. Buses and jeepneys from this station ply for various points in Metro Manila:Pasay,Muntinlupa (Sucat andAlabang),Parañaque (Bicutan andPITX),SM Mall of Asia,Taguig,Las Piñas,Manila,Caloocan,Makati, andQuezon City and the southern provinces ofCavite,Batangas, andLaguna. The nearbyEDSA Carousel station of the same name is located along EDSA across Taft Avenue, as well as the southbound Tramo station just east of the MRT station.
Taft Avenue station serves as the transfer point for commuters riding theLRT Line 1 atEDSA station via an elevated walkway and via Metro Point Mall.
A shuttle bus connects the station to the Terminal 3 ofNinoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
14°32′15.06″N121°00′05.06″E / 14.5375167°N 121.0014056°E /14.5375167; 121.0014056
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