CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan – The Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) is now in its final phase of preparation for partial operations in 2026, following the signing of an operations and maintenance services agreement between San Miguel Corporation (SMC) MRT-7 Corporation, the project concessionaire, and Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), the state-owned railway operator of the Republic of Korea.
Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon said the partnership will help accelerate the completion of MRT-7 and ease challenges faced by commuters from the City of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan and the northeastern part of Metro Manila.
Korail will begin work in July 2025 to stabilize key systems and finalize pre operational requirements. As a government-owned rail company, it is mandated to provide advisory services to SMC MRT-7 Corporation, particularly in setting up core operations, safety systems, and maintenance programs.
Hyundai Rotem, another Korean-firm, has completed the delivery of 108 rail cars that will be configured into three train sets. These are expected to undergo test-runs within the year with assistance from Korail.
MRT-7 spans 28.8-kilometers from the Unified Grand Central Station in North Avenue, Quezon City, up to Quirino Highway in Barangay Tungkong Mangga, San Jose del Monte.
The line features 22 stations, 20 of which have already been constructed. The remaining stations, located in San Jose Del Monte and Tala in North Caloocan, are now in the pre-construction stage.
The project, with a total cost of P77 billion, faced delays due to right-of-way issues in Bulacan. Although it was approved in 2008 under the arroyo administration, construction only began in 2017 under the Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme through a public-private partnership (PPP).
Once fully operational, MRT-7 will be supplemented with an Intermodal Transportation Terminal (ITT) beside the upcoming San Jose Del Monte Station, capable of accommodating up to 60 buses at a time.
The project also includes a road access component to link the Balagtas and Bocaue sections of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
Proposals are being considered to extend MRT-7 to the municipalities of Norzagaray, Santa Maria, Balagtas, as well as to the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulakan.
Meanwhile, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa said that MRT-7 marks another milestone in the partnership between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, as the two nations celebrate 76 years of diplomatic relations. (MJSC/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)