DOTr finalizing MRT 4 design after securing $1-B ADB funding for project

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is working on completing the final engineering design for Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT 4) as it targets the first quarter of next year as the start of the railway system’s construction.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, on the sidelines of an event in Pasay City on Thursday, told reporters the funding for the railway project had been secured.

The DOTr previously expressed the need to obtain the much-needed financing for the infrastructure project. The Asian Development Bank (ADB)is extending $1 billion.

The MRT 4 project had initially a project cost of P58.92 billion but this was estimated to go up due to the redesigning.

The transportation department went back to the drawing board after finding out that the original plan, which was to build a monorail, was not sufficient to accommodate the projected growth in passenger volume. Instead, a conventional railway with a bigger capacity would be constructed to service more commuters.

The MRT 4 is a 13.4-kilometer elevated railway mass-transit system. It is designed to have 10 stations linking Taytay, Rizal, to the Ortigas central business district. It is also designed to have integrated terminals for bus and jeepneys.

Shadow operator

Last year, the DOTr signed a shadow operator contract for MRT 4 with Australian rail consultancy company Ricardo Rail Australia Pty Ltd.

Ricardo Rail, under this contract, was tasked with identifying, defining and developing the operational and maintenance requirements for the railway project.

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In 2021, the transportation department inked an engineering and architectural contract with Spain’s IDOM Consulting Engineering, Architecture SA. It is the company behind the design of urban railways in Bogota, Dublin and Hanoi.

Meanwhile, Bautista said they were also on track to open the 12 stations of MRT 7—the portion linking North Avenue up to Quirino Station—next year.

In total, the 22-km railway project has 14 stations, 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.

The entire MRT 7 is targeted for completion as early as 2027.