DOTr: 12 MRT-7 stations fully operational by Q2 2027

A large stretch of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) covering 12 train stations is targeted to commence full operations by the second quarter of 2027, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Saturday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez expressed optimism that this segment would be completely ready to service the commuting public by the second quarter of next year.

"At ang MRT-7, ang daily operations po niyan, 12 stations from Sacred Heart dito sa Caloocan all the way sa North Avenue, mga second quarter of 2027. 'Yan talaga full operation na 'yan. Ibig sabihin, revenue line na 'yan," Lopez said.

(For the MRT-7, we are targeting to open daily operations in 12 stations from Sacred Heart in Caloocan all the to North Avenue by the second quarter of 2027. That will have full operations. That means this will already be a revenue line.)

The MRT-7 is a 22-kilometer elevated railway connecting Metro Manila and Bulacan via Commonwealth Avenue.

Once completed, MRT-7 will feature 14 stations from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. 

These are: 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.

The DOTr projects the MRT-7 to benefit some 500,000 daily passengers.

Project officials have acknowledged delays with the railway construction, mostly due to right-of-way issues and also during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This time, Lopez said the MRT-7's operations for the 12-station stretch may even come sooner than the latest revised target.

"We're quite confident we're going to achieve that target na second quarter of 2027, at baka mas mapaaga pa nga po. Nakikiusap ako sa SMC... na baka kayanin namin nang mas maaga," Lopez said, referring to operator San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

(We're quite confident we're going to achieve that target by the second quarter of 2027. It might even come sooner. I'm requesting SMC... we might be able to complete it earlier.)

Lopez said testing and commissioning works for trains are continuing, which he likened to the "break in" of brand new motor vehicles.

The development of MRT-7 was first launched in April 2016 under a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), San Miguel Corp., and then-President Benigno Aquino III.

The MRT-7 is an unsolicited proposal of the San Miguel Group pegged at P77 billion.

SMC started the installation of the MRT-7's first train sets from South Korea's Hyundai Rotem in September 2021. The conglomerate announced the start of construction for the MRT-7 train depot in San Jose del Monte City in May 2022. — VDV, GMA Integrated News