SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced on Sunday that the first train set of the Metro Rail Transit-7 (MRT-7) project in Quezon City had been installed.
The second train set was also scheduled to arrive and be installed on Sunday.
“The two train sets, consisting of three cars each,… were dispatched to the MRT-7 tracks between University Avenue and Tandang Sora, after clearing customs at the Port of Manila,” SMC said in an e-mailed statement.
The train sets were ordered from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem.
“The train sets arrived recently at the Manila Port and are the first of six train sets the company expects to arrive by end of the year,” it noted.
MRT-7 is a 22-kilometer mass transit system that connects to MRT-3 and Light Rail Transit Line 1 and runs from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
“We are working round-the-clock to meet the first test run by next year,” SMC President Ramon S. Ang said.
SMC said the project is now 55.3% complete, a slight improvement from the 54.87% completion rate in April.
“Workers have already completed the installation of bored piles, girders, and other foundational works,” the company said.
Mr. Ang said on Sept. 1 that the delay is caused by a number of factors, including the pandemic restrictions and the right-of-way issues.
The P63-billion project is expected to accommodate up to 850,000 passengers daily and cut travel time between Quezon City and Bulacan from four hours to 35 minutes. — Arjay L. Balinbin