San Miguel Corp. is on track to start partial operation of Metro Rail Transit line 7 (MRT-7) by yearend as construction completion rate has reached 59.72 percent, according to the Department of Transportation.
SMC will start partial operation with nine stations: North avenue, Quezon Memorial Circle, University avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Mangahan, Dona Carmen and Regalado all in Quezon City,
MRT-7 is targeted full operation by 2022 with all 14 stations including the remaining five stations: Mindanao avenue, Quirino Highway, Sacred Heart, Tala in Quezon City and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan.
Construction of the MRT depot on Quirino highway, in Barangay Lagro is also ongoing.
The 22-kilometer rail line, which stretches across North avenue in Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte with 14 stations, will cut travel time to only 35 minutes, from the current two to three hours.
Once operational, the rail line is expected to serve 300,000 to 850,000 passengers daily, with sufficient room for capacity augmentation to accommodate the potential increase of the rail transit’s ridership in the future.
Last week, SMC sstarted full operation of Skyway Stage 3 project and now on track to start the construction of Pasig River Expressway.
The two major expressways will be connected to SMC’s Manila International Airport project in Bulacan which is slated to be completed by 2025. – M. Iglesias
