The integrity of the entire Metro Rail Transit-7 (MRT-7) is not compromised despite the recent collapse of one of its posts along West Avenue in Quezon City, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Tuesday.
DOTr spokesperson Ramon Ilagan said that the agency is still gathering reports on the incident but noted that partial operations of MRT-7 may still push through, hopefully by the end of 2025 or next year.
“Hindi maiiwasan talaga ang ganyang aksidente pero ito po ay part ng MRT-7. We’re just getting some reports,” Ilagan said in an Unang Balita interview.
(We cannot avoid such accidents, but this one’s part of the MRT-7. We’re just getting some reports.)
“But anyway, ang maganda rito, kahit na ito ay may aksidenteng ganito, maigi nang nangyari na gano’n kaysa sa operational na. Ang dapat lamang talaga dito ay talagang sapat na pag-iingat para sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.
(But anyway, the good thing about this is that even if there was an accident, it already happened now rather than when it’s operational. We should really ensure the safety of our countrymen.)
An official of Barangay Philam narrated that the train system’s bored pile, which will serve as the foundation for the elevated turnback guideway, was the one that collapsed on Sunday afternoon.
Barangay personnel immediately responded to the scene of the incident, which showed the fallen steel bars and scaffoldings.
No one was hurt in the incident, but nearby electric cable wires were reportedly affected.
The DOTr previously said that 12 stations of the MRT-7 shall have partial operations by the fourth quarter of 2025.
The MRT-7’s 22-kilometer stretch will have 14 stations in total, namely: Quezon-North Avenue Joint Station, Quezon Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Manggahan, Doña Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala, and San Jose del Monte.
Once in full operation, MRT-7 is expected to reduce travel time from Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to 35 minutes. —Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News
