MRT7 trains running by 2025, full ops by 2026 —SMC

Trains for the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT7) — the 22-kilometer elevated railway connecting Metro Manila and Bulacan via Commonwealth Avenue — are expected to begin running and testing by the end of 2025, with full operations targeted for 2026, operator San Miguel Corporation announced Tuesday.

SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon Ang said the project remains on track for its 2026 launch, following the signing of an operations and maintenance (O&M) agreement with Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL).

“We have faced delays — mostly due to right-of-way issues — but we have stayed focused,” Ang said in a statement. “With all trains expected to be running and tested by year-end, and full operations set for 2026, this partnership with KORAIL brings us closer to our goal.”

Under the agreement, signed through SMC MRT-7 Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMC’s infrastructure arm, KORAIL will assist in establishing core operational systems, safety protocols, and overall guidance for MRT7’s launch.

The collaboration begins in July 2025, with the initial six to 12 months dedicated to finalizing pre-operational requirements and stabilizing key systems. KORAIL will also provide long-term technical support and facilitate knowledge transfer.

“This is a critical step as we move closer to delivering MRT7 to the public,” Ang added.

MRT7’s development was first launched in April 2016 under a public-private partnership between the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), SMC, and then-President Benigno Aquino III.

In 2021, SMC began installing the initial train sets for MRT7, manufactured by South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem.

KORAIL — which manages South Korea’s vast railway network, including the high-speed KTX, commuter lines, and intercity trains — expressed enthusiasm over the partnership.

“I am confident that the fusion of KORAIL’s technical expertise with San Miguel’s managerial prowess will make MRT7 the finest rail in the Philippines,” said KORAIL President and CEO Han Moon Hee.

“I am certain that the success of MRT7 will become a role model for Philippine railway projects and dramatically improve mobility and quality of life for the Filipino people,” he added.

Once completed, MRT7 will feature 14 stations from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. These include:

• North Avenue, 
• Quezon Memorial Circle, 
• University Avenue, 
• Tandang Sora, 
• Don Antonio, 
• Batasan, 
• Manggahan, 
• Doña Carmen, 
• Regalado, 
• Mindanao Avenue, 
• Quirino, 
• Sacred Heart, 
• Tala, and 
• San Jose del Monte.

— DVM, GMA Integrated News