President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III has launched the construction of Manila metro rail transit line 7 (MRT-7) in Quezon City.
The Philippines Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and its private partner have started construction on the PHP69.30bn ($1.5bn) public-private partnership transport project.
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Developed by San Miguel Holdings subsidiary Universal LRT under a Public Private-Partnership (PPP) concession, the project also includes 35 years of operations. It is reported that construction works are being carried out by EEI Philippines, while electrical and mechanical systems, including the line’s fleet of 36 three-car trainsets, will be supplied by Hyundai Rotem.
In January, Hyundai Rotem secured a $440m turnkey contract from Universal LRT to deliver 108 metro cars, with signalling, communications, and power supplies, for the Manila metro, Line MRT-7.
The project will include the development of a 23km railway system with 14 stations from North Avenue, Quezon City, to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
DOTC secretary Jun Abaya said: "The long-awaited MRT-7 will serve commuters who ply the heavily congested Commonwealth Avenue area for work and school on a daily basis.
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By GlobalData"The new railway system will not only significantly lessen travel time along this corridor, but also help decongest traffic in Caloocan and NLEX."
Scheduled to begin revenue service by April 2020, the MRT-7 is expected to initially accommodate 350,000 daily passengers and reduce travel time from the current three and half hours on the road, to one hour. According to DOTC, after carrying out further upgrades, the line is expected to carry 800,000 passengers per day.
The project also covers the development of an integrated transportation system, which includes a 22km highway from the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Bocaue interchange, and an intermodal transport terminal (ITT) adjacent to the San Jose del Monte Station.
Commuters can take public utility vehicles (PUVs) 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.
Image: Manila metro rail transit line 7 would be operational by April 2020. Photo: courtesy of Department of Transportation and Communications.
