MRT-7 project update shown in drone video, now 63 percent complete

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) shared that the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) is now 63.35 percent complete. Funded by San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the 22.8-kilometer MRT-7 is targeted to be completed by the end of this year.

The MRT-7 will reduce travel time from Quezon City to Bulacan to just 35 minutes

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. Once completed, the DOTr and SMC said that it is expected to accommodate up to 300,000 passengers daily during the first year of operations. 

It is set to have 14 stations including elevated and underground railways. The MRT-7 is said to reduce travel time from Quezon City to Bulacan from three hours to just 35 minutes. 

SMC president Ramon Ang previously said that the MRT-7 will contribute to generating a sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery by providing individuals with 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 trains are supplied by Hyundai Rotem

The first batch of MRT-7 trains was delivered in the Philippines last September 2021, and the second batch arrived in October last year. DOTr and SMC then received the new batch of MRT-7 trains last December 2021. 

The trains for the MRT-7 are supplied by Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean manufacturing plant company under the umbrella of the Hyundai Motor Group. The DOTr and SMC shared that all MRT-7 trains have undergone test runs in South Korea.

SMC has also previously mentioned that it plans to extend the MRT-7 project to Bocaue, Bulacan, which is said to improve access to Ciudad de Victoria.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the MRT-7 project was held in April 2016 at the Quezon Memorial Circle. SMC was chosen to construct the MRT-7 project in 2008 but it was delayed as the company failed to secure financial closure. The financial closure or financial agreement was then completed in February 2016.

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