MRT Line 7 (Metro Manila)

1993-2015: early planning and delays

A route envisaged under the 1993 Traffic and Transport Management Plan, named Metro Manila LRT Line-4, with various alignment suggestions. on the suggestions of Japan International Cooperation Agency was later split into MRT-7 and the MRT Line 8 in 1999. On August 27, 2001, an early proposal of the MRT-7 project was submitted to the government, and in 2008 a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) was contracted to build the line.

In May 2012, SMC awarded the construction contract to the joint venture of Marubeni Corporation and DMCI, which was approved by the government of President Benigno Aquino III on 21 November 2013 on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

2016-2028: Phase-1 construction

On April 20, 2016, 15 years after initial development began the President Benigno Aquino III held the ground breaking ceremony, but the actual construction on the phase-1 22.8-kilometer (14.2 mi) line officially started on August 15, 2017. The project also includes construction of a 22-kilometer (14 mi) highway from the NLEX Bocaue Interchange, up to the proposed intermodal transport terminal (ITT) located near San Jose del Monte station.

Rolling stock & depot

There are 36 Hyundai Rotem trainsets or 108 train cars costing $440.2 million, configured into 3 cars per train set expandable up to 6 cars per train set, have been acquired. The trains will maintain an at-grade 20 hectares (49 acres) depot in Quezon City, capable of handling 150 trains sets.

Route

The route has 14 stations with North EDSA as an interchange with the other metro lines such as the Line 1 and Line 3.

The line will be operated with 108 rail cars in a three-car configuration. Hyundai Rotem was awarded a $440.2 million contract to supply 108 metro cars, which will be configured into 36 train sets (3 cars per train set, with plans of expanding up to 6 cars per train set). The contractual scope also includes signalling, communications, and power supplies for the metro line. All ordered trainsets have undergone the necessary testing and trials. After being stored in South Korea since 2018 due to a lack of a depot, the 108 railcars are already in the process of being shipped to the Philippines.

The first batch of two three-car trainsets arrived in the country on September 6, 2021. The trains were then brought from the Port of Manila to Commonwealth Avenue and were laid on the tracks near the Tandang Sora station from September 11 and 12. On the other hand, the trains are seen to begin test runs by April 2022. As of December 2021, six trainsets were delivered and laid on the tracks near Tandang Sora station, with the latest deliveries of two trains that were laid in November 2021. The trains were unveiled on December 16, 2021. On November 22, 2023, a series of test trials were made for the train sets parked along Commonwealth Avenue, located between Tandang Sora Station and Don Antonio Station, while test runs within the North Avenue-Mindanao Avenue segment began on the 4th quarter of 2025. The test runs on December 1, 2023 were also overseen by SMC Chairman Ramon Ang, alongside officials from Hyundai Rotem, Korail, and Rhodium 688. As of March 4, 2025, 35 train sets, which consisted of 105 train cars, have been delivered into the country and are currently stored within the MRT 7 Depot.

Phase 2A (MRT 7 Extension)

Phase 2A will be an extension of the Phase 1 route to Tutuban station. The backtrack section from North Triangle Common Station is where Phase 2A shall begin from.

Phase 2B (West Line)

Phase 2B will be an extension from Phase 2A from Tutuban station and an airport rail link to the New Manila International Airport.

Phase 3 (Airport Access)

Phase 3 will extend the Phase 1 route from San Jose Del Monte station to Marilao, along with the planned six-lane highway connecting to the North Luzon Expressway in Bocaue, all of which are located in the province of Bulacan. Just like Phase 2B, it is also an airport rail link connecting the New Manila International Airport.

Phase 4A (Southeast Main Line)

Phase 4A branches off from the "D. Tuazon Station" of Phase 2A and will extend to Taytay, Rizal with 10 new stations running on a northwest-southeast alignment.

Phase 4B (Southeast Spur Line)

Phase 4B will be a spur line of Phase 4A from Meralco Avenue station to V. Mapa station with LRT Line 2, running mostly through Mandaluyong.

Phase 5 (Katipunan Spur)

The last phase, Phase 5, will be a spur line with 9 stations connecting Phase 1 at Tandang Sora to Phase 4A at Bonifacio Avenue via an interchange with LRT Line 2 at Katipunan and Marikina-Pasig.