The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday bared a piece of good news, saying 12 of 14 stations of the MRT-7 will begin partial operations in the waning months of 2025.
It also said the line’s Tala Station in Caloocan, is scheduled to open in 2026.
Transportation undersecretary for railways, Jeremy Regino, said the MRT-7 North Ave. Station in Quezon City up to the Quirino Station in Caloocan will be up and running next year.
“We will definitely begin partial operations next year,” Regino told transport journalists in a mix of English and Tagalog, the national language.
The rather controversial San Jose Station in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, is seen serviceable by 2027 or 2028 based on a worst case scenario, according to Regino.
“The San Jose Station best-case scenario is 2027. We’ll extend it to 2028 on a worst-case” basis, he said.
The DOTr is considering a redesign of the San Jose del Monte station of the MRT-7 rather than relocate it as proposed by the local government of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The Marcos administration has classified the MRT-7 project, one of 194 high-impact infrastructure flagship projects under its “Build Better, More” program, as crucial to improving the quality of life of Filipinos.
The MRT-7 stretches over 22 kilometers, consisting of 14 stations namely Quezon North Avenue Joint Station, 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.
When completed, the MRT-7 will cut the travel time from Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to only 35 minutes and carry 300,000 passengers in its inaugural year of operation.
The project will also feature an intermodal transportation hub catering to other types of public transportation and a 19-kilometer highway from San Jose del Monte to Bocaue, Bulacan.
