The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is working with the local government of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to settle the issue over the alignment of the Metro Rail Transit line 7 (MRT-7) project.
In a statement, Jorjette Aquino, DOTr assistant secretary, said the agency is in talks with the local government unit (LGU) for the realignment of routes in Bulacan to service its constitutes better.
“Our talks with San Jose del Monte (LGU) are ongoing. We have scheduled an inspection by the DOTr, San Miguel Corp. (SMC) this June and San Jose LGU to see their proposed alignment and station location,” Aquino said in Filipino.
The DOTr is also considering building two stations that will be accessible to commuters, Aquino added.
Last month, the San Jose del Monte Mayor Arthur Robes asked the DOTr to reroute the last station of MRT-7 from the initial proposed location within the city, due to concern about the traffic congestion and disruption of the services.
MRT-7’s project proponent San Miguel Corp earlier said the changes in the alignment was up to the DOTr and the local government unit.
Construction of the San Jose del Monte MRT station in Bulacan is expected to be completed by 2027, once the alignment issues are resolved.
“If our talks with San Jose del Monte LGU continue and we can finalize the alignment that will be good for our passengers there. We expect it to be completed by 2027,” Aquino said.
By the fourth quarter of 2025, 12 stations of the MRT-7 will be operational, while the 13th station in Tala will be completed in 2026.
“We will have partial operations of 12 stations by the end of 2025 and we expect the next station – station 13 (Tala Station) to be operational by the end of 2026,” Aquino said.
As of May, the 22-kilometer rail line’s overall progress rate is at 69.9 percent. The MRT-7 has 14 stations that will connect Quezon City and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
Once completed, the MRT-7 is expected to reduce travel time from Quezon City to San Jose del Monte to 35 minutes.
