MRT-7 redesign open to concerns of QC gov't

MANILA – The concessionaire of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) is open to considering the concerns of the Quezon City government in its redesign of the MRT-7's Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) station, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Thursday.

In a statement, DOTr Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said the DOTr acknowledged the "historical, cultural, and environmental concerns" of the city, and that the project's concessionaire, San Miguel Company (SMC), will reconsider the MRT-7 QMC station's design to address the matter.

"SMC will present its proposed re-design of MRT-7 QMC Station on February 28, and finalization of the design will involve QC LGU (Quezon City local government unit)," Libiran said.

The redesign, she said, was made necessary due to an increase in passenger capacity requirement of the project, and so it came out with larger passenger support facilities.

She said the original ridership and capacity/sizing assumptions of the MRT-7 were based on the project's 2008 Concession Agreement, already more than a decade old and was in need of an update.

"MRT-7's sizing was updated in 2017 to 2018 because ridership projections have changed over the course of time that the MRT-7 Project stalled between 2008 to 2016," Libiran said.

She said the DOTr did not want to build a project that would not be able to cope with passenger demand "in as little as five- or 10-years' time."

The discussions, she said, were made on Wednesday between DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, the city government and SMC.

On Wednesday, Libiran said the underground construction of the MRT-7 QMC Station will continue as the temporary cease and desist order issued by the city government affects "above-ground construction."

On Tuesday, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte issued the order against the construction of the MRT-7 QMC station after historians and environmentalists decried its effects on the national landmark.

She said the project contractor indicated 4,997 square meters as the project's floor area which was "five times [larger than] the approved figure." (PNA)