MANILA (UPDATED) - The government on Friday broke ground on a common station that will serve hundreds of thousands of commuters using the country's railways and planned subway system.

The P2.8-billion structure, which will be built between the SM North Edsa and Trinoma shopping malls, will be completed in 2019, the Department of Transportation said in a statement.

#ANCRecap: DOTr leads groundbreaking ceremony of the LRT-MRT common station. @jacquemanabat reports. pic.twitter.com/rlmmt6c0es

— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) September 29, 2017

The common station will interconnect lines 1 and 2 of the Light Rail Transit, Metro Rail Transit line 3 and the soon to be built MRT line 7 and the Mega Manila Subway, the department said.

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The ground level of the common station will be used by buses, jeeps and Asian utility vehicles, according to the statement.

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Construction on the common station was held back by a decade due to a dispute on its location. -- with Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News