DOTr: Underground construction of MRT7 to continue

Construction of underground areas of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT7) will proceed while the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will coordinate with the Quezon City government to continue works aboveground, transportation officials said Wednesday.

“We’ll not allow it to basically delay the whole project of MRT-7. The Secretary [Arthur Tugade] always follows and monitors the strict implementation based on accepted schedule,” DOTr Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez said at a news conference in Malacañang.

In a separate statement, DOTr spokesperson Goddes Libiran said the department is now in close coordination with the QC government to address construction concerns.

"We understand that the concern is about the aboveground structure, and that the construction of underground areas may proceed," she said in a mobile message sent to reporters.

"We will coordinate with the (local government unit) of Quezon City as soon as possible to discuss and clarify this matter," she elaborated.

This comes a day after Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte issued a temporary cease and desist order on the aboveground construction of the MRT7 Quezon Memorial Circle station, citing that it will affect the national heritage park.

"We are certain that at the end of the day, we will be able to strike a balance and obtain a win-win situation," Libiran responded.

The P69.30-billion project covers the development of a 23-kilometer railway system with 13 stations linking North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan with 14 stations in about 34 minutes.

The DOTr, along with private concessionaire Universal LRT Corp. BVI Limited (ULC), broke ground for the project in April 2016.

As a public-private partnership (PPP) project, the 25-year concession agreement also entails the development of an integrated system including a 22-kilometer highway from the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Bocaue Interchange and an intermodal transport terminal next to the San Jose del Monte Station.

Once operational, the line is expected to ferry between 300,000 to 850,000 passengers per day, with room for capacity expansion to accommodate future increases in ridership. It will be connected to LRT-1, MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.

As of January 15, the MRT-7 project is 50.69% complete, the DOTr said. The train line is scheduled to begin partial operations in 2021. —LDF, GMA News