The first batch of train cars for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line-7 project, which is scheduled to be completed next year, will arrive in the Philippines this week, according to SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC).
Two trainsets will arrive, each measuring 65.45m in length and consisting of six carriages. The trains were purchased from Hyundai ROTEM and have passed inspections and factory acceptance tests with the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL).
“The timely arrival of these brand new, high-quality trains from South Korea—known as one of the world’s best train and rail systems builders—is such a welcome development, and I believe holds a lot of significance,”
said SMC president Ramon S. Ang.
“More trains are set to arrive in the following months up to next year… until all 108 cars or 36 train sets the company acquired are delivered,”
it added.
The project, on the other hand, remains at a completion rate of “above 54%.”
At an online forum in June, San Miguel Holdings Corp. Chief Finance Officer Raoul Eduardo C. Romulo stated, “As of April 2021, the MRT-7 project is halfway finished, with a total completion rate of 54.87 percent.”
The 22-kilometer MRT-7 line will include 14 stops. The project is expected to be finished in December 2022, with partial operation beginning in December 2021. It is expected to reduce travel time from Quezon City’s North Avenue to Bulacan’s San Jose del Monte to 35 minutes once completed. The trail line will transport between 525,000 and 850,000 passengers every day.