THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) hopes to break ground on Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT-4) within the first quarter of 2025.
“The groundbreaking will be next year; we are just finalizing the project’s detailed engineering design… Hopefully by the first quarter,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista told reporters on Thursday.
Mr. Bautista said the DoTr has obtained funding for MRT-4 from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“It has been arranged, the loan is approved,” he added.
The DoTr said in July that it is hoping to obtain a $1.5-billion loan for the construction of MRT-4.
In May, the ADB said it plans to approve a $1-billion loan by next year to fund the construction of the MRT-4. The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank also said last year that the Philippines is seeking a loan of about $537.4 million.
The MRT-4 will run 12.7 kilometers from the Epiphany of the Saints Avenue (EDSA)-Ortigas Ave. junction to Father, Rizal. It will have 10 stations.
Once operational, the MRT-4 is expected to serve more than 400,000 passengers daily, the DoTr has said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
