After almost two decades, the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) that would link Quezon City to Bulacan is now on track for completion as the government is committed to make the rail line operational by the fourth quarter of 2022.
This, after President Duterte and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade unveiled on Thursday, Dec. 16, the brand new train sets for MRT-7.
“Ang MRT-7 ay dalawang dekadang pinlano, hinintay, at pinangarap ng mga kababayan natin. Ngayong araw na ito, sa administrasyong Duterte ay bibigyang buhay at patotoo natin itong MRT-7 (The MRT-7 has been planned and waited for by the public for almost two decades. It is now being realized by the administration),” Tugade said during the ceremony.
The unsolicited proposal for the rail line, which will link North Avenue in Quezon City and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, was first submitted to the then Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in August 2001, while the concession agreement for the project was signed in August 2008.
Stagnant for almost two decades, the actual construction of the MRT-7 project started only in August 2016.
According to the DOTr, the rail line’s overall progress rate is now over 62 percent and is eyed for partial operations with test runs starting in April 2022 and slated to start passenger operations in December 2022.
Once completed, the MRT-7 is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Quezon City and Bulacan to just 35 minutes from the usual two to three hours.
The 14-station rail line is also expected to service 38,000 passengers during peak hours daily.
Duterte lauded the DOTr for building a “world-class project that will benefit the Filipino people.”
“The MRT-7 project will provide the public with fast, efficient, convenient, safe and reliable transportation system that will result in the increase in productivity of workers and businesses in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces,” Duterte said.
Meanwhile, Tugade thanked San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President and COO Ramon Ang for pushing for the construction of the MRT-7 Project and supporting the Build, Build, Build Program of the administration.
For his part, Ang said the MRT-7 is a vital project that will develop an integrated and interconnected transportation systems and promote equity and inclusivity across cities.
“MRT-7 will decongest traffic, make our cities more accessible, and boost economic activities. This train set will represent grains into a better future for all of us,” he added.