MRT-7 construction on track

FOR BIDDING The government said it will bid out the contract to operate and maintain the Metro Rail Transit 3, which runs the length of EDSA from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

MANILA, Philippine – The construction of the $1.6-billion Metro Railway Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) linking North Edsa to Bulacan is set to begin as its proponent, the San Miguel group, has awarded the contract to build the elevated railway to a consortium led by Marubeni-DMCI.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Tuesday, DMCI Holdings announced that the Marubeni-DMCI consortium—an unincorporated joint venture between itself and Japanese trading giant Marubeni Corp.—had signed the contract for the MRT-7 project.

The engineering, procurement and construction contract was signed with Universal LRT Corp. Ltd., a corporation controlled by San Miguel Holdings Corp.

The MRT-7 project involves the construction of a 22-km train line with 14 stations from San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to the corner of North Avenue and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Quezon City.

It also comprises a 22-km six-lane road from the MRT depot in Bulacan.

The San Miguel group took over a majority stake in the project in late 2010.