MRT 7 gets closer to reality

MANILA  -The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has started the preconstruction works for the elevated turnback guideway of Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT 7), a railway project linking passengers from Bulacan to Quezon City.

On Friday, the transportation department, the Quezon City local government and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) broke ground for the guideway that will rise along West Avenue in Quezon City.

Preconstruction activities include road widening and beautification works.

Transportation Assistant Secretary for railways Jorjette Aquino said in a statement that the turnback guideway would allow the trains traversing the rail to change directions upon terminating at the North Triangle Common Station in North Avenue.

“This portion of the alignment is critical to ensuring that train services would remain on schedule across the entire alignment from North Avenue to San Jose del Monte,” she said.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista recently said that MRT 7 was the “next big-ticket rail project,” which seeks to reduce travel time from San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to North Avenue in Quezon City from as long as three hours to only 35 minutes.

The P77-billion MRT 7, whose contract was awarded to SMC-Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc., is designed to have 14 stations. Once operational, it can accommodate up to 800,000 commuters daily.

According to DOTr, the railway project is 58-percent complete and operations are expected to begin by 2025.

The government has been ramping up the railway projects in a bid to improve connectivity and the commuting experience of the general public. INQ

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