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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is standing by its target to open 12 stations of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) by June 2027, with plans to roll out safety barriers and other improvements at existing stations to prepare for the expected surge in passengers.
According to Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez, the 12 stations from Sacred Heart to the Quezon North Avenue Joint Station are on track to be operational by the second quarter of 2027, affirming commitments the agency made in May.
“Hindi lang po namin titiyakin, tatayuan pa po namin ‘yung aming unang sinabi na ito ay magbubukas at magiging revenue operation na po by second quarter of 2027,” he said during a House hearing on the agency’s budget for 2027.
(We will not only ensure it, we will stand by our earlier commitment that it will open and begin revenue operations by the second quarter of 2027.)
The remaining two stations — Tala and San Jose, Del Monte — are expected to be completed and opened to the riding public in 2028, completing the 22 kilometers of the railway.
The MRT-7 will connect to the MRT-3, which spans the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and has a daily average ridership of 500,000, through the common station, and is expected to increase ridership of other lines.
“Napaghandaan naman po ito ng Kagawaran ng Transportasyon at ng management ng MRT-3 and ng MRT-7. Kung meron mang shortcomings, pupunan po namin agad,” Lopez said.
(The DOTr and the management of MRT-3 and MRT-7 have prepared for this. Should there be shortcomings, we will immediately address them.)
Once operational, Lopez said riders of the MRT-7 can pass through nearby mall TriNoMa to move to the MRT-3, which the DOTr is now working to rehabilitate, the latest being the Quezon Avenue station.
“Kulang pa po ‘yan kasi pinaplano pa po natin maglalagay ng (That is not enough because we are planning to place a) barrier, and that would be the template in other stations na ginagawa po ngayon (that is currently being done),” he said. — RSJ, GMA News
