MRT Line 7 (Metro Manila)

MRT Line 7
Hyundai Rotem trains in September 2021
Overview
Status	Under construction
Owner	Department of Transportation
Line number	7
Locale	Metro Manila and Bulacan
Termini	North EDSA San Jose del Monte
Stations	14[1]
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Manila Metro Rail Transit System
Services	1
Operator(s)	SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Incorporated[1]
Rolling stock	Class 000 EMUs
Daily ridership	300,000 (initial) 850,000 (design capacity)
History
Commenced	August 15, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-08-15)
Planned opening	2025 (partial) 2027 (full)[2]
Technical
Line length	24.069 km (14.956 mi)
Number of tracks	Double-track
Character	Grade separated
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail[3]
Average inter-station distance	1.85 km (1.15 mi)
Route map Legend San Jose Del Monte San Jose del Monte Caloocan Tala Caloocan Quezon City Depot Sacred Heart Quirino Avenue Mindanao Avenue Regalado Avenue Doña Carmen Manggahan Batasan Don Antonio Tandang Sora University Avenue Quezon Memorial Circle North EDSA  MMS  3 This diagram: view talk edit

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, and the first line to have a third rail electrification.^[3] The line runs in a northeast–southwest direction, beginning at San Jose del Monte, Bulacan up to the North Triangle Common Station in North Avenue, Quezon City.

First planned in 2001 and approved in 2004,^[4][5] the 25-year concession agreement was signed in 2008 between the Philippine government and the project's original proponent, Universal LRT Corporation.^[6] However, construction has been repeatedly delayed due to right-of-way issues. The project was re-approved in 2013,^[6] while funding for the project was obtained in 2016.^[7] Construction on the line began the following year and is slated to partially open by 2025 due to route realignment.^[8][2] The project will cost an estimated ₱62.7 billion (US$1.54 billion),^[9] with additional plans are laid for capacity expansion in order to accommodate the possible increase in passenger ridership in the future.

It is integrated with the public transit system in Metro Manila, and passengers also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses, to and from a station to reach their intended destination.

In the 1993 Updated Traffic and Transport Management Plan, which proposes Line 4, spanning from Welcome Rotonda to Batasan, entirely in Quezon City, for 12 kilometers.^[10] A year later, the origins of the proposed route came when the original Line 4 was conceptualized by the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos through a study by SOFRETU, a French firm. Meanwhile, Spanish firms such as Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Entrecanales y Tavora, and Cubiertas y MZOV (both later merged to form Acciona) and Halcrow also participated in the study, and a year later, Ayala Land and a consortium of French (including Javlon International, Bouygues, and SOFRETU) proposed a line that was to be known as LRT Line 4.^[11][12][13]

The LRT-4 was supposed to run from Old Bilibid in Manila and traverse along España Boulevard, Quezon Avenue, Elliptical Road, and Commonwealth Avenue before ending at Batasan in Quezon City for the first segment with its length of 15.1 km, while the depot was to be located near the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Also, there is a plan to extend all the way to Quirino Highway in Novaliches for 7 kilometers.^[14][15] This was also supposed to have a rolling stock of 5-car light rail vehicles (LRVs) as its rolling stock.^[14] The project was approved numerous times in 1995 and first passed in 1998 with a cost of ₱16 billion in budget. It was planned to be done in 1999; however, the plan would be scrapped as the original proposal status was lost in 2003.^[12][15][16]

As part of the Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study published by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 1999, which included the Line 4 plan, it called for the construction of a 22.8 km (14.2 mi) elevated railway between Recto Avenue in Manila and Novaliches in Quezon City. A branch line, which would either be an automated guideway transit or busway, would have shuttle commuters to and from San Mateo, Rizal. This proposal would be later split into MRT-7 and the MRT Line 8 proposal. The section of this route between the Quezon Memorial Circle and Novaliches became Line 7 while the rest of the proposed line became Line 8.^[17]

On August 27, 2001, an early proposal of the MRT-7 project was submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications (now the Department of Transportation).^[4] When the MRT-7 was proposed, they overlapped the Quezon Memorial Circle to Batasan section, passing along Commonwealth Avenue of the former LRT-4 proposal.^[18][19] The Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) first approved a version of the MRT-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.^[5] 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.^[20][21] 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.^[22]

Universal LRT Corporation, later renamed to what is 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. The concession agreement of the project was signed on June 18, 2008.^[6][23] Construction of the line should have commenced in January 2010, but was postponed several times.^[24]

In May 2012, the joint venture of Marubeni Corporation and DMCI was awarded a construction contract.^[25] However, after years of delays, SMC planned to conduct a second round of bidding in 2015, due to revised construction cost assumptions.^[26]

The current project was approved on November 21, 2013, by the NEDA board, chaired by President Benigno Aquino III, and the project was developed through a public-private partnership (PPP). It has an indicative cost of ₱62.7 billion.^[27]

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.^[7] On January 22, 2016, Hyundai Rotem won the US$440.2 million contract with SMC-Mass Rail Transit 7 Incorporated to supply 108 train cars, signalling, communication and power supply systems.^[28][29]

Soil testing and surveying, including pre-construction related activities, were conducted in February 2016. SMC tapped the consortium of Hyundai Rotem and EEI Corporation as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor in the same year.^[30] On April 20, 2016, 15 years after initial development began, the project broke ground, with President Benigno Aquino III leading the ceremony.^[31] The line was expected to be finished by 2019,^[32] but was repeatedly pushed back because of right-of-way issues regarding the acquisition of a 33-hectare (82-acre) land for the San Jose del Monte station, depot, and the intermodal transport terminal (ITT).^[33]

More than a year after the groundbreaking ceremony was held, construction on the 22.8-kilometer (14.2 mi) line 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.^[8][34][32] The project also includes construction of a 22-kilometer (14 mi) highway from the NLEX Bocaue Interchange, up to the proposed intermodal transport terminal (ITT) located near San Jose del Monte station.^[1]

Groundbreaking for Batasan station was held on October 7, 2017,^[35] while the excavation for the underground guideway at Quezon Memorial Circle is ongoing as of November 2017.^[32] Construction of the station and rail track along North Avenue began on January 22, 2018.^[36]

Nearly two years since the start of the construction of MRT-7, works at the depot commenced on November 26, 2019, according to a statement by the DOTr.^[37][38] 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.^[37] 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.^[39] Construction works at the depot started on May 31, 2022, after the land area was cleared.^[40]

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.^[41]

On April 14, 2023, DOTr, SMC, and the Quezon City government broke ground for pre-construction works along West Avenue, where an elevated turnback guideway would be built.^[42]

As of May 2024^[update], the project is 69.86% complete. In 2022, DOTr planned to conduct demonstration runs in 2023 and full operations by 2024–2025.^[43] This was later deemed no longer feasible, with DoTr Project Management Service (PMS) Director Eduardo D. Mangalili citing the completion of the depot as the main factor.^[44] It now targets to open 12 stations from North Triangle to Sacred Heart by December 2025 instead,^[45] with Tala station following by 2026.^[2]

However, the right-of-way issues, especially in San Jose del Monte, continue to delay the project. In May 2024, the local government of SJDM requested that the station and alignment along Quirino Highway be diverted.^[46] The area where the station was supposed to be built is "too tight and many buildings will be affected", according to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.^[47] SJDM Mayor Arthur Robes suggested to divert the station to a bypass instead of Quirino Highway.^[48]

The line will start at San Jose del Monte located in Bulacan and will end at the North Triangle Common Station in Quezon City. The line is mostly elevated and erected either over or along the roads covered, with underground sections between Quezon Memorial and University Avenue, and at San Jose del Monte. The rail line serves the cities that Quirino Highway, Regalado Highway, Commonwealth Avenue, and North Avenue passes through: San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, Caloocan and Quezon City in Metro Manila.

Upon completion, the line will have 14 stations along its route. Only one station, North EDSA, will initially serve as an interchange with the other metro lines, although two more will be interchanges when Line 8 opens.

List of stations

No.[49]	Station	Distance (km)[50]		Structure type	Connections	Location
		Between stations	Total
S01	North EDSA[49]	—	0.000	Elevated	Interchange with Manila LRT Interchange with Manila MRT 3  MMS  EDSA Carousel  1  North Avenue Bus routes  18   33   64  SM North EDSA Quezon City Bus Service  4  Road 1  8  Trinoma	Quezon City
S02	Quezon Memorial Circle[49]	1.665	1.665	Depressed	Proposed interchange with Manila MRT 8 Bus routes  6   7   17   34   49  Visayas Avenue  6   7   17   34   49  Quezon City Hall Quezon City Bus Service  1  2  4  5  6  7  8  Quezon City Hall
S03	University Avenue	0.837	2.502	Depressed	Proposed interchange with Manila MRT 8 Bus routes  6   7   17   34   49  Technohub
S04	Tandang Sora	1.664	4.166	Elevated	Bus routes  6   7   17   34   36   39   41   49  Tandang Sora  18   50   51  Luzon Avenue
S05	Don Antonio	2.254	6.420	Elevated	Bus routes  6   7   17   34   36   39   41   49  Ever Gotesco Quezon City Bus Service  2  St. Peter Parish
S06	Batasan	0.976	7.396	Elevated	Bus routes  6   7   17   34   36   39   41   49  Batasan Quezon City Bus Service  2  Maclang General Hospital
S07	Manggahan	1.390	8.786	At-grade	Bus routes  6   7   17   36   39   41   49  Manggahan Quezon City Bus Service  2  Litex
S08	Doña Carmen	1.472	10.258	Elevated	Bus routes  6   7   17   36   39   41   49  Puregold North Commonwealth
S09	Regalado Avenue[49]	1.145	11.403	Elevated	Bus routes  6   7   17   36   39   41   49  Fairview Center Mall
S10	Mindanao Avenue	3.416	14.819	Elevated	Bus routes  6   7   17   20   33   36   37   38   39   40   41   49  SM Fairview (Nova Stop)
S11	Quirino Avenue	0.800	15.619	Elevated	Bus routes  6   20   33   49  Lagro
S12	Sacred Heart	2.642	18.621	Elevated	Bus routes  6   20   33   49  Amparo
S13	Tala	2.625	20.886	Elevated	Bus routes  6   20   33   49  Pangarap Tala Intermodal Transportation Terminal[51]	Caloocan
S14	San Jose Del Monte	3.183	24.069	Elevated		San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Stations, lines, and/or other transport connections in italics are either under construction, proposed, unopened, or have been closed.

The stations will have a standard layout, with a concourse level and a platform level. The concourse is usually above or below the platform, with stairs, escalators and elevators leading down to the platform level. Station concourses will contain ticket booths, which is separated from the platform level by fare gates. Most stations will be designed to be barrier-free inside and outside the station, and trains will have spaces for passengers using wheelchairs.

Stations will either have island platforms and side platforms.

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. All ordered trainsets have undergone the necessary testing and trials. After being stored in South Korea since 2018 due to a lack of a depot,^[33] the 108 railcars are already in the process of being shipped to the Philippines.^[52] The first batch of two three-car trainsets arrived in the country on September 6, 2021.^[53] The trains were then brought from the Port of Manila to Commonwealth Avenue and were laid on the tracks near the Tandang Sora station from September 11 and 12.^[54] On the other hand, the trains are seen to begin test runs by April 2022.^{[needs update][55]} As of December 2021, six trainsets were delivered and laid on the tracks near Tandang Sora station, with the latest deliveries of two trains that were laid in November 2021.^[56][57] The trains were unveiled on December 16, 2021.^[58] On November 22, 2023, a series of test trials were made for the train sets parked along Commonwealth Avenue, located between Tandang Sora Station and Don Antonio Station. The test were also oversaw by Ramon Ang on December 1, 2023, alongside officials from Hyundai Rotem, Korail, and Rhodium 688.^{[59] [60]}

Rolling stock specifications

Rolling stock	First-generation
Image
Year	2018–2019
Manufacturer	Hyundai Rotem
Model	Class 000
Number built	108 cars (36 sets)[28][29]
Car Length	DM: 21.95 m (72 ft 0 in) T: 21.56 m (70 ft 9 in)
Train Length	65.46 m (214 ft 9 in)
Width	3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Height	3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Body material	Stainless steel
Weight	115 t (254,000 lb) [clarification needed]
Configuration	DM1-T-DM2
Capacity	1,168 passengers
Doors	Pocket sliding; 4 doors per side
Drive unit	Gear coupling (WN) Drive
Traction power	750 V DC third rail
Traction control	IGBT–VVVF
Traction motor	200 kW (270 hp) 3-phase AC induction motor
Top speed	90 km/h (55 mph)
Braking system	Electro-pneumatic
Safety system(s)	ATP
Acceleration	1 m/s2 (3.3 ft/s2)
Deceleration	1 m/s2 (3.3 ft/s2) (Service) 1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) (Emergency)
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Coupling	Shibata close-contact
Status	21 trainsets (63 cars) delivered as of June 2024[61]

The line will maintain an at-grade depot along Quirino Highway in Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City, close to the proximity of La Mesa Watershed.^[37] The depot occupies 20 hectares (49 acres) of space and will be the center of the operations and maintenance of the line.^[38] It will be capable of handling 150 trains for future expansion of the line.^[62]

SMC plans for MRT-7 to evolve into a 200-kilometer (120 mi) network. Its main feature is a circumferential mainline comprising the present line, the Airport Access segment to New Manila International Airport, the West Rail Link, and the Phase 2A between the Manila North Harbor and the North Avenue Common Station. Additional branches will also be built in northeastern Metro Manila and Rizal.

The first proposed extension by phase number is Phase 2A, an unnamed westward extension of the line to Tutuban station via West Avenue, Quezon Avenue and Earnshaw Street before running parallel to the LRT Line 2 after Legarda station.^[63] This is similar to an earlier proposal under review, MRT Line 8, under the Philippine National Railways, that has proposed technical specifications identical to the MRT-7. Depending on the deliberations and pending approvals, the two lines may coexist or may be merged.

The current construction of the line extension for the train system's turnback tracks along West Avenue will be the highly probable starting point of the proposed extension.

Name	Line transfers	Barangay	City/Municipality	Nearest Landmarks
Del Monte	none	Phil-Am	Quezon City	None
Delta		West Triangle		Capitol Medical Center, St. Mary's College
A. Roces		Paligsahan		Fisher Mall, Amoranto Sports Complex
Santo Domingo		Santo Domingo		Santo Domingo Church, UST Angelicum College
D. Tuazon		Santa Mesa Heights		Welcome Rotonda, National Labor Relations Commission
España Boulevard	NSCR  España	Sampaloc	Manila	Trabajo Market
G. Araneta	none			University of Santo Tomas
Legarda	Legarda			San Sebastian Church, University Belt (Mendiola Street section)
Recto	Recto	Santa Cruz		Isetann Recto, Manila City Jail
Tutuban	Tutuban Tutuban	Tondo		Tutuban Center (Old Tutuban Station), Divisoria
North Port	Pier 4 North Port Passenger Terminal			Port of Manila

Phase 2B is dubbed the West Rail Link project. It will be an airport rail link to New Manila International Airport and traversing the northwest coast of Metro Manila, in similar fashion to the Clark–Buendia Airport Limited Express of the North–South Commuter Railway. It will host express train services and aims to connect the NMIA and Metro Manila within 20 minutes.^[64] Thus, it will only have three stations: C2 in Manila, C4 in Navotas, and NMIA. The length of the segment is yet to be determined.^[63]

With the depot underway, San Miguel Corp. has plans to extend the line further to Bocaue, Bulacan, running parallel to the planned six-lane highway along the area, which aims to be connected to the North Luzon Expressway.^[65] The extension will improve access to Ciudad de Victoria complex, where the Philippine Arena will be within its vicinity.^[66] The line will also connect Metro Manila with New Manila International Airport, adding 30.3 kilometers (18.8 mi) to the present line to 53.1 kilometers (33.0 mi).^[67] Plans were also laid out connect the airport to the cities of Navotas, Malabon, and Manila, consisting of 19 additional stations, and will travel through the alignment of the LRT 2 Western Extension and the planned MRT 8, before traversing to West Avenue, and finally connecting the planned extension line to the North Triangle Common Station.^[68]

This segment shall be operated together with the Philippine National Railways.^[67]

Name	Line transfers	Barangay	City/Municipality	Nearest Landmarks
Tungkong Mangga	San Jose del Monte	Tungkong Mangga	San Jose del Monte	Skyline Hospital and Medical Center, Iglesia ni Cristo - Maharlika, College of St. Anthony
Francisco Homes	none	Mulawin		Grace Medical Center, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Dulong Bayan		Dulong Bayan		City of San Jose del Monte Government Center, River Park Esplanade
Santa Maria		San Vicente	Santa Maria	Bella Vista
Philippine Arena		Tabing Bakod		Philippine Arena, Philippine Sports Stadium
Marilao (Phase 3)	NSCR  Marilao	Ibayo	Marilao	SM City Marilao
NMIA	NMIA	Taliptip	Bulakan	New Manila International Airport

Phase 4A involves the construction of an extension from D. Tuazon station of Phase 2A to Taytay, Rizal. Excluding D. Tuazon, it will have 10 stations running on a northwest–southeast alignment.^[63] This project is also similar to the MRT Line 4, except it will run on the same Line 7 network, providing wider access of stations. It will also traverse areas north of Gilmore station towards Quezon Avenue. Line 4 was originally intended to be a monorail system, until it was upgraded to a heavy rail system.

Name	Line transfers	Barangay	City/Municipality	Nearest Landmarks
Araneta Avenue	none	New Manila	Quezon City	De Los Santos Medical Center, St. Luke's Medical Center – Quezon City, Trinity University of Asia
E. Rodriguez		Kristong Hari		Christ the King Seminary, Barangay Mariana Park, Quezon City Sports Club
Gilmore	Gilmore	New Manila		Gilmore Commercial Plaza, St. Paul University Quezon City
Greenhills	none	Greenhills	San Juan	Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Greenhills Shopping Center
POEA–Ortigas		Wack Wack–Greenhills	Mandaluyong	EDSA Shrine, La Salle Green Hills, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Robinsons Galleria, Wack Wack Golf and Country Club
Meralco Avenue	(Southeast Alignment Spur)	Ugong	Pasig	Meralco Main Office, The Medical City
Pasig	None	Rosario		Sto. Rosario de Pasig Church
Bonifacio Avenue	(Katipunan branch)	Santo Domingo	Cainta, Rizal	Robinsons Cainta
L. Wood	None	San Isidro	Taytay, Rizal	Taytay Rotonda Monument
Taytay		Dolores		Taytay Public Market, Taytay Municipal Hall

Phase 4B involves the construction of a spur line between Ortigas Center and V. Mapa station of LRT Line 2. Excluding Meralco Avenue station and V. Mapa, it will have 6 stations traversing a U-shaped right of way.^[63]

Plans were also laid out for a 13.9 kilometers (8.6 mi) additional spur line, known as the MRT 7 Katipunan Spur Line, that aims to connect the line from Tandang Sora station to the LRT Line 2 at Katipunan and Marikina stations; the U.P. Town Center, the Ateneo de Manila University, the Riverbanks Center, and the MRT 4 Cainta Station. The project also consists of 8 additional stations and will connect areas within Quezon City, Marikina, the eastern parts of Pasig, and Cainta, Rizal. The proposed spur line will traverse through the University of the Philippines Diliman complex, Katipunan Avenue, Aurora Boulevard, Andres Bonifacio Avenue, Sumulong Highway, Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, and Felix Avenue.^[69][70]

Name	Line transfers	Location	Nearest landmarks
Tandang Sora	Tandang Sora	Matandang Balara, Quezon City	New Era University, Commonwealth Avenue
Balara	none		University of the Philippines Diliman, MWSS, Balara Filters Park
U.P. Town Center		Diliman, Quezon City	U.P. Town Center, C.P. Garcia Avenue (UP), Brgy. Pansol
Ateneo		Loyola Heights, Quezon City	Miriam College, Ateneo de Manila University
Katipunan	Katipunan		Xavierville Avenue, Aurora Boulevard, Project 2 & 3
Riverbanks	none	Marikina	Riverbanks Center, Barangka, Provident Village
Sumulong			Marikina City Hall, Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, Sumulong Highway
Emerald-Marikina	Marikina		Marikina–Infanta Highway, Sta. Lucia East, Robinsons Metro East
Bonifacio Avenue	4 Cainta	Cainta, Rizal	Ortigas Avenue Extension, Cainta Public Market, Robinsons Cainta

• MRT Line 7 (Metro Manila)