CONSTRUCTION of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) kicked off Wednesday with a groundbreaking ceremony led by President Benigno Aquino III.
Aquino, in a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony at Quezon City Memorial Circle, said the P69.3-billion MRT-7 would be the first mass transport system that would bring benefits to the residents in northeast of Metro Manila to part of Bulacan.
"Ang mga nakatira malapit dito sa Quezon Memorial Circle, sa kahabaan ng Commonwealth Avenue at Fairview, hanggang sa mga taga-San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, ay magkakaroon na ng mas mabilis at episyenteng paraan para makarating sa kanilang mga trabaho, pati na sa iba pang sentro ng komersyo sa Kamaynilaan," he said.
He said once the 23-kilometer mass rail project is completed by 2020, some 350,000 passengers are expected to use this daily.
"Kung magpapatuloy ang pag-uupgrade ng sistema, maaaring umabot sa 800,000 pasahero kada araw ang kayang isakay ng ating mga tren. Ang biyahe mula San Jose del Monte hanggang sa Makati, na umaabot ngayon sa tatlo’t kalahating oras, magiging isang oras na lang. At di ho ba, napakalaking ginhawa nito?," he said.
The project covers the development of an integrated transportation system, which includes the said railway system, a 22-km highway from the NLEX Bocaue interchange, and an intermodal transport terminal (ITT) adjacent to the San Jose del Monte Station.
SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc., under San Miguel Corporation's infrastructure subsidiary, San Miguel Holdings Inc., will implement the project, which will have 14 stations.
The stations include the Quezon North Avenue Joint Station, Quezon Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Manggahan, Dona Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala, and San Jose del Monte. (SDR/Sunnex)