The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday reported the construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) has reached 69.68 percent completion as of April 2024.
“I saw the full speed construction and I’m very happy that they are completing the Quezon City leg of MRT-7 which will be operational at the end of 2025,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said.
“I am very much impressed with how San Miguel Infrastructure has constructed all the facilities and I’m sure with all your help and hard work we should be able to open this Quezon City leg of MRT-7,” he added.
According to Bautista, this project is very important because it can serve 300,000 passengers in its first year of operation.
The trip from Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan will only take 35 minutes, down from two to three hours
San Miguel Corporation, the proponent of the MRT7 project, earlier secured a P100-billion syndicated loan agreement from a consortium of Philippine banks to fund the project.
Members of the consortium are BDO Unibank, Philippine National Bank (PNB), Bank of Commerce (BankCom), Security Bank, and the Government Service Insurance System. Lead arrangers and bookrunners of the transaction are BDO Capital & Investment Corp., PNB Capital and Investment Corp., SB Capital Investment Corp., and BankCom-Investment Banking Group.
The Marcos administration has identified the MRT-7, which runs from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, as one of 194 high-impact infrastructure flagship projects under its “Build Better, More” program, crucial to improving the quality of life of Filipinos.
The MRT-7 project will have 14 stations, namely: Quezon North Avenue Joint Station; Quezon Memorial Circle; University Avenue; Tandang Sora; Don Antonio; Batasan; Manggahan; Dona Carmen; Regalado; Mindanao Avenue; Quirino; Sacred Heart; Tala; and San Jose del Monte. It can accommodate 300,000 passengers in its first year of operations, and up to 850,000 passengers daily in its 12th year.
The project will also feature an intermodal transportation hub catering to other types of public transportation, as well as a 19-km highway from San Jose del Monte to Bocaue, Bulacan.
