MRT Line 7 (Metro Manila)

The Metro Rail Transit Line 7, also known as MRT Line 7 or MRT-7, is a rapid transit line under construction in the Philippines. When completed, the line will be 22.8 kilometers (14.2 mi) long, with 14 stations. The line runs in a northeast-southwest direction, beginning at San Jose del Monte, Bulacan up to the North Avenue Grand Central Station in North Avenue, Quezon City. The line will traverse Quezon City and Caloocan in Metro Manila and is envisioned to spur business and commerce at its inter-modal terminal station in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. According to the latest update, the project is 58.95% complete as of June 8, 2020, with partial operations set to begin in 2021.[2]

MRT Line 7
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
Status	Under construction
Locale	Metro Manila and Bulacan
Termini	San Jose del Monte North Avenue
Stations	14
Services	1
Daily ridership	300,000 (initial) 850,000 (design capacity)
Line number	7
Operation
Planned opening	2021–2022
Owner	Department of Transportation
Operator(s)	SMC-Mass Rail Transit 7 Incorporated
Character	At-grade separated
Rolling stock	Hyundai Rotem (108 train cars)[1]
Technical
Line length	22.8 km
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Route map San Jose del Monte San Jose del Monte Caloocan Tala Sacred Heart Caloocan Quezon City Depot Quirino Mindanao Avenue Regalado Doña Carmen Manggahan Batasan Don Antonio Tandang Sora University Avenue Quezon Memorial North Avenue Grand Central Station 3 MMS

The MRT-7 project will cost an estimated ₱62.7 billion (US$1.54 billion), [3] with additional plans are laid for capacity expansion in order to accommodate the possible increase in passenger ridership in the future.

History

Early planning and delays

The Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) first approved a version of the MRT Line 7 project in March 2004; this initial approval was provisional and contingent on the project's impact on the government's deficit reduction program. It had been submitted as an unsolicited proposal under the build–operate–transfer scheme by the Universal LRT Corporation, a consortium consisting of Alstom, EEI Corporation, Tyco Electronics, and others.[4] NEDA subsequently authorized the $1.2 billion project's construction the following August, citing the proponents' willingness to comply with the ICC's requirements, with construction slated to begin in 2005 and a targeted opening date in 2007.[5][6] In October 2004, Universal LRT Corporation signed an agreement with the Manila Banking Corporation to purchase 193 hectares (480 acres) of property in Bulacan for ₱1 billion, stating it would develop this property to complement the rail line.[7]

Universal LRT Corporation (now SMC-Mass Rail Transit 7 Incorporated), a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), was selected by the Department of Transportation and Communications to build the line in 2008. SMC tapped the consortium of Hyundai Rotem and EEI Corporation as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor. Construction of the line should have commenced in January 2010, but was postponed several times.[8] The Department of Finance issued the terms of financial guarantee for the line in 2014, and financial closure for the project was achieved in February 2016.[9] Hyundai Rotem won the US$ 440.2m contract with SMC-Mass Rail Transit 7 Incorporated to supply 108 train cars, signalling, communication and power supply systems.[10][11]

The project was developed through a public-private partnership (PPP) and it has an indicative cost of ₱62.7 billion.

The new line will include a 22.8 kilometer of a mostly elevated railway line with 14 stations. The project also includes construction of a 22 kilometer highway from the NLEX Bocaue Interchange, up to the proposed intermodal transport terminal (ITT) located near San Jose del Monte station.

Construction

Construction progress of Batasan Station along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City as of August 2018.

Soil testing and surveying, including pre-construction related activities, were conducted in February 2016.[12] A groundbreaking event was held on April 20, 2016, and was attended by President Benigno Aquino III.[13] Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade expected the line to be finished by 2019,[14] but it was pushed back to 2020 because of right-of-way issues regarding the acquisition of a 33-hectare land for the San Jose del Monte Station, depot, and the intermodal transport terminal (ITT).[15]

Construction of Line 7 officially started on August 15, 2017, and has resulted in lane closures and heavy traffic along Commonwealth Avenue and Quirino Highway, both in Quezon City.[16][17][14] A total of 160 informal settler families shall be relocated to Tanay, Rizal and in Bulacan since they will be affected by the construction of the North Avenue and Quezon Memorial station.[14]

Groundbreaking for Batasan station was held on October 7, 2017,[18] while the excavation for the underground guideway at Quezon Memorial Circle is ongoing as of November 2017.[14] Construction of the station and rail track along North Avenue began on January 22, 2018.[19]

Nearly two years since the start of the construction of Line 7, works at the depot commenced on November 26, 2019 according to a statement by the DOTr.[20][21] After two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain a site, the original location of the depot in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan was moved to Quirino Highway in Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City. The relocation was found optimal for right-of-way, operational reliability, and maintenance.[20] The depot site was approved by Tugade on June 29, 2019, and the DOTr offered to buy the property from lot owners Century Properties Group, Inc. at the current market value, which was appraised by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-accredited independent property appraiser.[22]

Originally, the site in Bulacan was subject to a legal case after the property owner questioned the expropriation at the Malolos Regional Trial Court Branch 11. If it was pushed through, the cost of the project would have multiplied ninefold from ₱67.105 million to ₱598.905 million. Transport Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Oliveros-Libiran stated that it would take forever to resolve the case and it will no longer be pursued. The case in Bulacan has prompted San Miguel to conduct a scheduled partial operation of the line from North Avenue to a station in Fairview in 2021.[23]

Route

The line will start at San Jose del Monte station located in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and will end at the North Avenue Grand Central station in Quezon City. Its depot will be located along Quezon City, close to the proximity of La Mesa Watershed.[20]

Stations

Upon completion, it will have 14 stations along its route.

Name	Structure Type	Line transfers	Location
San Jose del Monte	Depressed	none	San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan
Tala	Elevated		Caloocan City
Sacred Heart	Elevated
Quirino	Elevated		Quezon City
Mindanao Avenue	Elevated
Regalado	Elevated
Doña Carmen	Elevated
Manggahan	At-Grade
Batasan	Elevated
Don Antonio	Elevated
Tandang Sora	Elevated
University Avenue	Depressed
Quezon Memorial	Depressed
North Avenue Grand Central Station	Elevated	LRT Line 1 3 MRT Line 3  MMS  Line 9 (Metro Manila Subway)

Rolling stock

The line will be operated with 108 rail cars in a three-car configuration. Hyundai Rotem was awarded a $440.2 million contract to supply 108 metro cars, which will be configured into 36 train sets (3 cars per train set, with plans of expanding up to 6 cars per train set). The contractual scope also includes signalling, communications and power supplies for the metro line. As of June 2018, 45 out of 108 train cars have been completed and cannot be delivered from South Korea due to the non-availability of a depot.[15] As of September 2019, all 108 rail cars are completed, and are now undergoing test runs.

Rolling stock	MRT 7 EMU
Image
Year	2018–2019
Manufacturer	Hyundai Rotem
Number built (cars)	108 cars[10][11]
Length	21,950 mm (MC) 21,560 mm (MT)
Width	3,150 mm
Height	3,750 mm
Body material	Stainless steel
Weight	115 tons
Configuration	3 car: MC-MT-MC 6 car: MC-MT-MC-MC-MT-MC (planned)
Capacity	1,166 passengers (3-car)
Doors	Interior sliding type; 4-doors/side
Drive unit	Gear coupling (WN) Drive
Traction power	750 V DC Third rail
Traction controler	IGBT-VVVF Type
Traction motor	200 kW
Top speed	90 km/h (55 mph)
Brakes	Electro-Pneumatic Braking System
Safety measure	ATP
Acceleration	1.0m/s²
Deceleration	1.0m/s² (Normal) / 1.3m/s² (Emergency)
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Coupling	Shibata-type
Status	Ordered

Expansion

With the depot underway, San Miguel Corp. has plans to extend the line further to Bocaue, Bulacan.[24] The extension will improve access to Ciudad de Victoria where the Philippine Arena will be within its vicinity. This will replace the old plan consisting of a six-lane highway spanning 22 km that would connect an intermodal transportation terminal in San Jose del Monte to the Bocaue/Balagtas Interchange of the North Luzon Expressway.[25] In the future, further expansion to the proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, Bulacan may be pushed, as it is also a part of the corporation's project.[26]

References

1. "Hyundai Rotem trains for Manila Line MRT-7". International Railway Journal. January 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
2. https://www.facebook.com/130406490431829/posts/1753786871427108/
3. "SMC vows to finish MRT 7 project by August 2019". Public–Private Partnership Center. April 28, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
4. Ferriols, Des (March 29, 2004). "NEDA body approves MRT Line 7". The Philippine Star.
5. Reyes, Mary Ann Ll. (August 14, 2004). "Gov't gives green light for $1.2-B MRT-7 intermodal transport system". The Philippine Star.
6. Cabacungan Jr., Gil C. (September 14, 2004). "Massive Luzon railway projects to cost at least $5B". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
7. Batino, Clarissa S. (October 27, 2004). "MRT-7 group buys P1-B land in Bulacan". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
8. "Construction of Line 7 seen to start in 2014". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 29, 2013.
9. Camus, Miguel R. (February 17, 2016). "With funds secured, Line 7 to run by '19". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
10. Barrow, Keith (January 25, 2016). "Hyundai Rotem trains for Manila Line 7". Retrieved July 17, 2016.
11. "Hyundai Rotem wins $440mn turn-key project in Philippines". Pulse News. January 22, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
12. Daxim L. Lucas (February 15, 2016). "SMC seals financing for P63B MRT-7 commuter project". Inquirer. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
13. "Construction Begins for Line 7, Connecting QC to Bulacan". PropertyAsiaPH. April 20, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
14. "DoTr: Expect traffic slowdown on Quirino Highway due to Line 7 construction". GMA News Online. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
15. "Right-of-way issue hounds MRT 7". BusinessWorld Online. August 7, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
16. "Brace for heavy traffic on Commonwealth Avenue as MRT-7 construction starts". GMA News Online. August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
17. "Motorists told to avoid Quirino Highway due to MRT7 construction". Rappler. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
18. Cordero, Ted (October 7, 2017). "Concrete pouring at MRT-7 Batasan Station in QC begins". GMA News Online. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
19. Galvez, James Konstantin (January 20, 2018). "Heavy traffic expected with MRT-7 construction". The Manila Times. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
20. Cordero, Ted (November 27, 2019). "MRT7 depot works commence as QC court grants DOTr, SMMRT7 writ of possession". GMA News Online. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
21. Galvez, Daphne. "MRT-7 depot construction starts as courts grant DOTr, SMC right of way". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
22. Subingsubing, Krixia (November 28, 2019). "MRT 7 on track for partial opening in 2021". business.inquirer.net. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
23. Balinbin, A.L. (November 28, 2019). "MRT-7 clears key hurdle". BusinessWorld. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
24. Amojelar, Darwin G. (December 8, 2019). "SMC wants to extend MRT Line 7 to Bocaue". Manila Standard. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
25. Camus, Miguel R. (December 9, 2019). "MRT 7 extension to Bocaue eyed". business.inquirer.net. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
26. https://www.facebook.com/ItsAseanSkyline/posts/2184145468549039

External links