San Miguel Corporation (SMC) shared that the construction of the 22.8-kilometer Metro Rail Transit 7 (MRT-7) is now halfway completed with plans to initially open it by the fourth quarter of 2022.
MRT-7 project is making progress
SMC said that the MRT-7 is now 56 percent complete, and is already looking at the possibility of conducting test runs by December next year. In line with this, SMC president Ramon S. Ang unveiled six new train sets, or a total of 18 train cars, for the MRT-7 project. President Rodrigo Duterte attended the unveiling ceremony of the project’s new train sets.
Ang believes that the MRT-7 will play an important role in generating a sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery as it will boost activity, alleviate traffic, and create new job opportunities. It is also intended to help individuals to have fast, and efficient public transport.
“MRT-7 is a vital cog in our long-term goal to develop an integrated and interconnected transportation system where people from all income levels can get around and beyond the metropolis, quickly and efficiently,” Ang said.
MRT-7 project is set to be completed next year
To make way for the continued progress of the MRT-7 construction, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has closed a portion of North Avenue going to Elliptical Road until June 1, 2022.
The Php 62.7 billion MRT-7 project links North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan. It will also connect to the existing LRT-1 and MRT-3 railways. MRT-7 will have 14 stations, and it is expected to accommodate up to 300,000 passengers per day in its first year of operations. The MRT-7 will also reduce travel time from Quezon City to Bulacan from three hours to just 35 minutes.
The MRT-7 trains are supplied by Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean manufacturing plant company under the Hyundai Motor Group. All trains are said to have undergone test runs in South Korea.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the MRT-7 project
The construction of the MRT-7 started in April 2016 with a groundbreaking ceremony held at the Quezon Memorial Circle. SMC was chosen to build the MRT-7 project in 2008 but encountered delays due to the failure to secure financial closure. The financial closure or financial agreement for the project was then completed in February 2016.
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