Video courtesy of RTVM

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday unveiled new train sets for the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 that would connect Quezon City and Bulacan province, which authorities hoped would ease traffic in the capital.

Government acquired 36 train sets composed of 108 rail cars for the MRT-7. The railway will cover 14 stations from North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, reducing travel time between these areas to around 35 minutes from the current 2 to 3 hours.

Duterte said the MRT-7 was about 60 percent complete and authorities are "committed to make it partially operational" by the last quarter of 2022.

"The arrival of the trains and the significant progress made on MRT-7 project confirm this administration’s strong commitment to pursue critical infrastructure projects even amidst the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a speech.

He urged agencies "to ensure the prompt implementation and completion of significant government projects while still upholding the transparency, integrity and accountability in its operation."

The MRT-7 is expected to serve around 300,000 passengers daily in its first year of operations.