MRT-7 construction halfway complete

MANILA, Philippines — The P63-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), a project which will cut travel time from Manila to Bulacan to only 34 minutes, is on track to start operations next year with the construction going full blast.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said yesterday construction of the MRT-7 is now halfway done, with the completion rate reaching 51 percent.

“To date, civil works of the underground/depressed, at grade, and elevated guideway of the rail line are in various stages of construction, while the civil works of the nine stations are at full blast,” the DOTr said.

“Moreover, for the rolling stock and electrical and mechanical works, 108 cars have already been completed, while the installation of track works are underway,” it said.

The MRT-7 is scheduled to begin its partial operations running from the North EDSA common station to Fairview by the second quarter of 2021. 

The 23-kilometer railway that will connect San Jose del Monte to North Avenue in Quezon City is expected to be completed by 2022.

Once operational, the MRT-7 is expected to serve between 300,000 and 850,000 passengers daily, with room for capacity expansion to accommodate future increases in ridership.

It will be connected with LRT-1, MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway through the Common Station in North Avenue.

Works on the MRT-7’s 20-hectare depot formally started in November after nearly two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain the site.

San Miguel is also seeking the DOTr’s approval for a possible extension of the MRT-7 to Bocaue in Bulacan from its current end point in San Jose del Monte.