The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that a major portion of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), covering 12 stations from Sacred Heart in Caloocan to North Avenue in Quezon City, is expected to begin full operations by the second quarter of 2027.
Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez expressed confidence that the line will be ready to serve commuters by then, possibly even earlier.
“At ang MRT-7, ang daily operations po niyan, 12 stations from Sacred Heart dito sa Caloocan all the way sa North Avenue, mga second quarter of 2027. ’Yan talaga full operation na ’yan. Ibig sabihin, revenue line na ’yan,” Lopez said in a radio interview.
The MRT-7 is a 22-kilometer elevated railway linking Metro Manila and Bulacan via Commonwealth Avenue. Once completed, it will feature 14 stations stretching from North Avenue to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and is projected to serve around 500,000 passengers daily.
Construction has faced delays due to right-of-way issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lopez said testing and commissioning of trains are ongoing, likening the process to the “break in” of new vehicles. He added that coordination with operator San Miguel Corporation (SMC) could even accelerate the timeline.
Launched in 2016 under a public-private partnership, the ₱77-billion MRT-7 project was proposed by the San Miguel Group.
Train sets from Hyundai Rotem of South Korea began arriving in 2021, while depot construction in San Jose del Monte started in 2022.
The DOTr said the MRT-7 will significantly ease travel between Metro Manila and Bulacan, providing a faster, more reliable option for commuters once operations begin.