Taft Avenue station

the MRT station
Train station in Pasay, Philippines

Taft Avenue station is the southern terminus of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) system located in Pasay. It is situated at the intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), one of Metro Manila's major thoroughfares, and Taft Avenue usually referred to as Pasay Rotonda or EDSA 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 are Araneta Center Cubao, Shaw Boulevard, Boni, Buendia, and Ayala. 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, from the number of hotels and motels to restaurants and shops, with a good majority of them being a short walk from the station.

The station is connected to Metropoint Mall and Saver's Square, both of which are popular with commuters; as well as Winston Lodge and a branch of Hotel Sogo, two of the many motels found along EDSA near the station. It is also the ideal stop for those continuing to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Bay City including SM Mall of Asia, Heritage Hotel, San Juan de Dios Hospital and College, and Manila Tytana College (formerly Manila Doctors College).

True to its name, Taft Avenue station is a major transportation hub. Many provincial bus lines, such as Victory Liner, Five Star Bus Company (serving Northern Luzon), Philtranco (serving Southern Luzon and the rest of the Philippines), and Genesis Transport (serving the provinces of Bataan and La Union), have bus terminals near the station. Buses and jeepneys from this station ply for various points in Metro Manila: Pasay, Muntinlupa (Sucat and Alabang), Parañaque (Bicutan and PITX), SM Mall of Asia, Taguig, Las Piñas, Manila, Caloocan, Makati, and Quezon City and the southern provinces of Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna. The nearby EDSA 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 the LRT Line 1 at EDSA station to either Baclaran or Fernando Poe Jr. via a crossway and via Metropoint Mall. A shuttle bus connects the station to the Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

During the line's construction in 2000, the 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. In response, MRTC stated that constructing the segment as an elevated railway was not possible due to the Department of Public Works and Highways claiming the air rights above the line for the Tramo flyover project. Construction of the line continued amidst a cease and desist order given by then Pasay mayor Wenceslao Trinidad and city councilors threatening to file criminal charges against the MRTC.