The Department of Transportation said the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 system was on track to being fixed and restored to its original, high-grade design state by the third quarter of 2021.
The DOTr said since the Duterte administration took office in 2016, a series of critical and strategic steps were taken to put the major rail line back on track.
These include the termination of non-performing service providers, establishment of a government maintenance transition team, and procurement of a Japanese Government-backed, JICA-funded, and experienced rehabilitation and maintenance service provider.
“Fixing MRT 3 requires a painstaking process that involves removing the cause—terminating BURI (Busan Universal Railways Inc); procuring the solution—return of Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy; and implementing the solution—the 26-month rehabilitation period,” DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said.
In November 2017, the DOTr officially terminated its contract with MRT 3’s maintenance service provider, BURI, which was engaged by the previous administration in January 2016.
Through the ongoing comprehensive rehabilitation project, DOTr will raise the number of operating trains from 15 to 20 at peak hours, double train operating speed from 30 to 60 kilometers per hour, and slash by half the headway or waiting time between trains from seven to 10 minutes to just 3.5 minutes.
The system’s capacity will likewise double from the current 350,000 to 650,000 passengers per day.
DOTr said rail replacement works for the whole stretch of the MRT 3 mainline will begin in November 2019, and will be completed by February 2021, since rail replacement can only be done during the evening non-operating hours.
In a meeting with DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade on June 29, Sumitomo-MHI gave assurance that other spare parts are also due to arrive ahead of schedule.
LRV parts, rail, and track parts will arrive this month, three months ahead of schedule. Power supply equipment and OCS parts will arrive in August 2019, one month ahead of schedule. Signaling system parts will also arrive in August, two months ahead of schedule. Road rail vehicle and depot equipment parts will arrive in September, one month ahead of schedule. And communication system parts will arrive in December 2019, one month ahead of schedule.
On Nov. 8, 2018, the Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency signed the P18-billion loan agreement for the rehabilitation of MRT 3.
Under the MRT 3 Rehabilitation Project, Sumitomo-MHI will undertake the overhaul of all 72 Light Rail Vehicles of the MRT 3, replace all mainline tracks, rehabilitate power and overhead catenary systems, upgrade the signaling system, communications and CCTV systems, and repair all of MRT 3’s escalators and elevators, among other system repairs and improvements.
The project will last for 43 months, with rehabilitation works slated for completion within the first 26 months.