Residents of Quezon City, Caloocan City, Bulacan, and neighboring areas in the northern outskirts of Metro Manila can look forward to a faster and easier commute to the heart of the metropolis four years from now as groundbreaking ceremonies on April 20 officially kicked off construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7).
“The long-awaited MRT-7 will serve commuters who ply the heavily congested Commonwealth Avenue area for work and school on a daily basis,” Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a statement.
“The new railway system will not only significantly lessen travel time along this corridor, but also help decongest traffic in Caloocan and NLEX (North Luzon Expressway),” Abaya added.
The P69.30-billion project calls for the development of a 23-kilometer railway system with 14 stations spread from North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Once operational by April 2020, MRT-7 is expected to shorten travel time from the current 3.5 hours on the road to one hour and initially accommodate 350,000 daily passengers. Once further upgrades are made, 800,000 passengers per day will ultimately benefit from the project, the Department of Transportation and Communications noted.
Universal LRT Corporation (ULC), a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation, is the project contractor.
In addition to the railway system, the proposed integrated transportation system will include a 22-kilometer highway from the NLEX Bocaue interchange and an intermodal transport terminal (ITT) near the San Jose del Monte Station. Commuters can take public utility vehicles or private cars and use the new highway from NLEX, alight at the ITT, and board the MRT-7 going to North Avenue, Quezon City.
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