Tuesday, May 31, 2022
‘We can’t waste any more time’: RSA speeds up work on MRT-7, train depot under construction
San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has started construction of the MRT-7 train depot, a key element of the company’s first mass rail project.
A 20-hectare property in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan will serve as the main stabling area or train depot of the MRT-7 project.
SMC said the depot would have enough capacity to accommodate up to 150 train cars, exceeding the 36 trainsets or 108 rail cars currently set for the project.
The higher capacity will ensure that there will be enough room for future expansion, should the need for more trains based on commuter demand arise, the company said.
The depot will also house essential facilities dedicated to the maintenance and operations of the trains.
“This is yet another important milestone reached by our MRT-7 team, who have been diligently working for several years now, even throughout this pandemic, not only to build the physical structure of the rail system but also to overcome the many rights-of-way and property-related challenges faced by a project of this scale,” SMC president and CEO Ramon Ang said.
“With the necessary land area for the MRT-7 depot finally complete, we can’t waste any more time; our people are fully committed to delivering this vital project to the public as soon as possible,” he added.
With the start of construction on the depot, SMC estimates that the facility will be ready to support essential operations by the end of 2023.
All of MRT-7’s 108 train cars from South Korea are expected to be fully delivered to the country by the end of this year.
SMC said project completion for the MRT-7 currently stands at over 60 percent, with most of the construction work focused on the first 12 of its total 14 stations.
“Construction on the last two stations, as well as the train depot, had been delayed due to right-of-way issues related to their original sites,” it said.
“In recent years, the government was able to identify–and deliver–an alternative site for the depot. However, this meant that stations 13 and 14 also had to be realigned along Quirino Highway towards San Jose del Monte, giving rise to further right-of-way issues that the government and the company are working to resolve at present,” SMC added.
Aquino and Duterte’s men: Babes Singson, Vince Dizon are among Bongbong Marcos’ top choices for Transportation Secretary
President-elect Bongbong Marcos is reportedly considering two former bosses of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) head job.
A Babbler said Marcos’ transition committee has included Rogelio “Babes” Singson and Vivencio “Vince” Dizon among the shortlist of candidates for Transportation Secretary.
Babbler said Marcos has shown his willingness to choose former Cabinet officials from previous administrations to fill up his economic team.
Marcos recently named former Cabinet members Ben Diokno (Finance Secretary), Bienvenido Laguesma (Labor Secretary), and Felipe Medalla (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor) from the Estrada administration; and Arsenio Balisacan (Socioeconomic Planning Secretary).
Both Singson and Dizon are proponents of aggressive infrastructure development programs.
Singson pushed for the the public-private-partnership (PPP) initiative when he was Public Works Secretary under the presidency of Benigno Aquino III while Dizon steered the Build, Build, Build program as President Rodrigo Duterte’s Adviser of Flagship Programs and Projects.
Singson, who was BCDA president from 1998 to 2002, is currently president and CEO of Metro Pacific Water.
Dizon resigned from Duterte Cabinet last December.
San Miguel begins construction work MRT-7 depot in Bulacan
San Miguel Corp on Tuesday said its subsidiary has commenced construction of the MRT-7 depot on the 20-hectare property in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan after delays due to right-of-way issues.
SMC Infrastructure said the project will have enough capacity to accommodate up to 150 train cars, exceeding the current capacity set at 36 trainsets or 108 rail cars to ensure room for future expansion, it said.
MRT-7 trains are made in South Korea by rail systems provider Hyundai Rotem. All 108 MRT-7 train cars are expected to be delivered by the end of the year, SMC said.
The company has already received several train cars for the rail line.
“This is yet another important milestone reached by our MRT-7 team, who have been diligently working for several years now, even throughout this pandemic, not only to build the physical structure of the rail system, but also to overcome the many right-of-way and property-related challenges faced by a project of this scale,” said SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
“With the necessary land area for the MRT-7 depot finally complete, we can’t waste any more time; our people are fully committed to delivering this vital project to the public as soon as possible,” he added.
Ang said the project, which would also house maintenance and operations of the trains, would be ready to support operations by the end of 2023.
SMC said the MRT-7 is currently at over 60 percent completion, with most of the construction work focused on the first 12 to 14 stations.
Aside from the depot, the last 2 stations were also delayed due to right-of-way issues, the company said.
SMC earlier said the project, which will link with MRT-3 and LRT-1, is set to open by December 2022.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/31/22/san-miguel-begins-construction-work-mrt-7-depot