The Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7 will help promote mobility among commuters and ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila once it is completed by the fourth quarter of 2019.
Composed of 14 stations, the 22 kilometer MRT 7 rail transit system will connect North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade told reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the Progress Briefing and Inspection of Build, Build, Build (BBB) projects Thursday also said the railway project’s construction of columns will be finished by November this year.
“We expect the traffic in Regalado to ease up starting this November,” the transportation secretary assured the public, referring to the traffic buildup along Dona Carmen and Regalado streets in Quezon City due to the ongoing construction of the station columns.
“We ask for the public’s continuous understanding and patience as we are striving to complete the construction of MRT-7 by 2019. Whatever inconvenience that we might be currently experiencing will be compensated by ease in mobility and travel in the long run,” according to the transportation secretary.
Tugade disclosed that the initial set of trains for the MRT-7 station will be delivered by February next year.
Among the areas where stations shall be constructed include: North Avenue, Quezon City Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Doña Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala, and San Jose Del Monte.
The railway line will accommodate an estimated ridership of 420,000 passengers daily.
A common station which will link with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will be built in North EDSA.
Furthermore, a 22 kilometer, six lane asphalt road will be constructed to connect the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to a major intermodal transportation hub in San Jose Del Monte.
“We are aiming that our infrastructure projects will have interconnectivity and interoperability. In that way, there will be a railway system wherein it will connect with a subway, bus terminal and other modes of transportation,” Tugade said.
Korean firm Hyundai Rotem, affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, will be providing the train cars, signaling, communication and power systems.
The Korean firm was contracted by Universal LRT Corporation (ULC) the proponent of MRT 7. with PNA