Central Terminal (sometimes called Central or Arroceros station) is an elevated Manila Light Rail Transit (LRT) station situated on Line 1. It is located in

Ermita Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city g ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. A popular name for the station is Arroceros due to its proximity to the

Arroceros Forest Park The Arroceros Forest Park is a riverside urban forest park in Manila, Philippines, located on Antonio Villegas Street (former Calle Arroceros) in the central district of Ermita. Developed in 1993, the park on the south bank of the Pasig Ri ...

. Central Terminal is the last station of LRT Line 1 south of the

Pasig River The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and souther ...

and serves as the ninth station for trains headed to

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president *Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Roosevel ...

and the twelfth station for trains headed to

Baclaran Baclaran is a barangay located in the northern area of the city of Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is also known to be located at the borders of the cities of Parañaque and Pasay. Because of its proximity to the seashore, the place w ...

. It is also near some of Manila's major landmarks, such as the

Mehan Gardens Mehan Garden is an Public space, open space in Manila, Philippines. It was established in 1858 by the Spanish Colonial Era (Philippines), Spanish colonial authorities as a botanical garden, called the ''Jardín Botánico'', outside the Intramuros, ...

and the

Manila Metropolitan Theater The Metropolitan Theater ( fil, Tanghalang Metropolitan), abbreviated as MET, is a Philippine Art Deco building found near the Mehan Garden located on Padre Burgos Avenue corner Arroceros Street, near the Manila Central Post Office. It was design ...

. It is also near the

Manila City Hall The Manila City Hall ( fil, Bulwagan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) is the official seat of government of the City of Manila, located in the historic center of Ermita, Manila. It is where the Mayor of Manila holds office and the chambers of the Manila C ...

Liwasang Bonifacio The Liwasang Bonifacio (''Bonifacio Square''), also known by its former name, Plaza Lawton, is a city square and transport hub in front of the Manila Central Post Office in the Ermita district of Manila, Philippines. It lies at the south end of Jo ...

Manila Central Post Office The Manila Central Post Office, often called the Post Office Building, is the main postal office of Manila, which also serves as the home of the Philippine Postal Corporation. It also houses the main mail sorting-distribution operations of the Phi ...

, Manila Hall of Justice, Bonifacio Shrine, and the National Museum of Fine Arts. SM City Manila is also a nearby shopping center. Due to its location in Manila's

University Belt The University Belt is the name of a de facto subdistrict in Manila, Philippines. It refers to the area where there is a high concentration of colleges and universities in the city. The districts of Quiapo, Sampaloc, and San Miguel are tradit ...

, the station is near educational institutions such as the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...

, the

Philippine Normal University The Philippine Normal University (PNU; fil, Pamantasang Normal ng Pilipinas) is a public coeducational teacher education and research university in the Philippines. It was established in 1901 through Act No. 74 of the Philippine Commission '' ...

, the city-owned

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (from 'University of the City of Manila', abbreviated as PLM) is a city-government-funded local university situated inside the historic walled area of Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. It was established on ...

, the

Mapúa University Mapúa University ( fil, Pamantasang Mapúa), also known simply as Mapúa or MU, is a private research-oriented non-sectarian university located in Metro Manila, Philippines. The university was founded in 1925 by the first registered Filipino ar ...

, and the

Lyceum of the Philippines University Lyceum of the Philippines University ( fil, Pamantasang Liseo ng Pilipinas) also referred to by its acronym LPU is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational higher education institution located at intramuros in the City of Manila, Philippines. ...

. All those institutions, except the Philippine Normal University, lie within the former

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

walled city of

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...

. Central Terminal is one of the four stations and terminals in the whole LRT-1 system that allows commuters to catch a train going in the opposite direction without paying a new fare due to the station's layout. The other three stops are Carriedo, Balintawak, and

Transportation links

Owing to its name, Central Terminal is a major transportation hub for LRT-1 commuters. Next to the station is the Lawton bus terminal, also known as Lawton Park N' Ride, which is served by intercity and intracity buses, jeepneys, and UV Express vehicles. The Manila Multimodal Terminal by the

is also located near the station. Taxis also serve the vicinity of the station and of the bus terminal. The Lawton station of the

Pasig River Ferry Service The Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) is a public water bus service based in Metro Manila, the Philippines. It is currently the only water-based transportation service in Metro Manila that cruises the length of the Pasig River and Marikina River, ...

is also located nearby.

Station layout

Street level

Central Terminal has a unique layout as the only station on the line with separate street-level exits that bypass the station concourse, which are located on all of its four corners. Access to the station concourse is provided by two large staircases, in which only one is normally in use. Each of the four corner exits on the street level have one-way revolving doors to prevent counterflow entry through these exits. The street level of the station has multiple shops, stalls, and some street vendors.

Station concourse

The concourse of the station is much wider than most stations on the LRT-1 mainline, allowing space for more ticket offices and fare gates. Some of the operations offices are also located at the concourse, as well as a restroom.

Platform level

Each platform of the station has two entrances and two exits. The middle-north and middle-south staircases of each platform provides direct exit access to the street level, while the north staircases on each platform serve as both the entrance and exit of each platform to the station concourse. The south staircases on both platforms are currently not in use. A clinic is located on the south end of the northbound platform.

Nearby buildings

The northern and middle exits provide access to the Arroceros Forest Park, Lawton Park 'N Ride, Lawton Bus Terminal, the Manila Metropolitan Theater, and the Mehan Gardens. Commuters going to Intramuros and the Port Area are usually advised to take the Lawton underpass at the Lawton Bus Terminal. The middle exit provides access to the Metropolitan Trial Court, Maynilad Water Services, Civil Service Commission, Manila Youth Reception Center. The southern exits provide access to the

Universidad de Manila Universidad de Manila, also referred to by its acronym UdM, is a public coeducational city government funded higher education institution in Manila, Philippines. It was founded in April 26, 1995 with the approval by Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila ...

, Office of the Ombudsman, Bonifacio Park,

Adamson University Adamson University ( fil, links=no, Pamantasang Adamson) also referred to by its acronym AdU is a private, Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Congregation of the Mission in Manila, Philippines. The univers ...

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visu ...