San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has announced on Friday that the work for the massive MRT-7 project is now halfway done.
The civil works are now 51.73% completed, while the electrical/mechanical (E&M) works are 55.31% done.
“Our progress for the MRT-7 project as of January 2021 is at about 54%. We have already completed a significant amount of civil works, including the installation of bored piles, girders, foundational works on stations, and we have been installing rails or tracks. At the same time, E&M works have also advanced significantly,” SMC president Ramon S. Ang said in a statement.
SMC said that the project’s elevated section, some 6.2 kilometers of the target 13.5 kms. has been completed.
“Compared to our recently-completed Skyway 3 project–which is one of the most difficult we’ve had to undertake because of changes to its alignment and the engineering solutions we’ve had to employ to mitigate right-of-way (ROW) problems– the MRT-7 project is actually more complex,” Ang added.
“Apart from complex construction work, MRT-7 construction involves a lot of mechanical and electrical work. There are so many systems to be integrated to ensure we can efficiently and safely run a large number of passenger trains to serve the public,” Ang explained.
The construction of the big infrastructure project faced delays due to the limitations brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project is deemed to also drive economic growth in Bulacan, and will contribute on the decongestion of Metro Manila.
Ang said that factory acceptance testing (FAT) of an initial six trains or 18 cars, is scheduled for April in South Korea.
SMC purchased the trains from South Korea Hyundai Rotem, with the country’s national rail manufacturer, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), serving as its adviser.
If the train sets will pass the test, then the first batch of trains will arrive within one year.
More trains will then be delivered every month. A total of 36 trains or 108 cars are being procured by SMC for the project.
