The Department of Transportation said Wednesday it signed a P7.38-billion contract with Sumitomo Corp. for the rehabilitation and maintenance of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 to ensure safety and efficiency of the mass transit system.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Sumitomo, the original designer, builder and initial maintenance provider of the MRT-3, would rehabilitate and maintain MRT 3 for the next 26 months.
Bautista said the maintenance extension contract “will manifest our determination to keep our public transport safe, efficient and convenient.”
He said Sumitomo would use four-car train sets from the existing three-car-sets to significantly increase the daily ridership to more than half a million passengers a day, complementing the services of the EDSA Bus Carousel.
“What is more significant in extending the maintenance contracts for MRT 3 is ensuring trouble-free operations to Metro Manila’s second rapid transit line,” Bautista said, adding the project would make the rail line at par with the train systems of developed countries.
The rehabilitation and maintenance extension contracts cover technical system support, maintenance, spare parts procurement and provision of other rehabilitation and capacity expansion services to MRT-3 to improve the system’s service reliability, capacity and long-term sustainability.
The DOTr and Sumitomo signed the extended maintenance service, a contractual agreement to continue the maintenance service for the MRT 3 until 2025.
Another contract, the variation order agreement, documents changes or revisions to the original contract to improve the system.
Meanwhile, the supervision consultant extension contract with Oriental Consultants Global will extend the original contract’s lifetime and ensure the continuity of the supervision of the maintenance works of the system.
The DOTr expressed gratitude to the government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, for continued support to MRT-3 which had its first rehabilitation completed in December 2021.