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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Abaya gets Senate ultimatum over MRT

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Senator Grace Poe on Monday asked Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to submit within five days a progress report on committed deliverables to upgrade and rehabilitate the Metro Rail Transit over repeated system malfunctions amid fare increases.

 In session. Senators Grace Poe, Aquilino Pimentel III and Francis Escudero
mind their business during the Senate session on Monday. EY ACASIO

“Our commuters have long been aggrieved, and any further delay in the accomplishment of vowed upkeep and upgrade is certainly unacceptable. We must hold accountable all those negligent in carrying out their duties,” stressed Poe.

Senator JV Ejercito and several congressmen  are scheduled to  go today to the Supreme Court to seek temporary restraining order against the fare increases for MRT and LRT.

At the same time, the Senate committee on Public Services, sub-committee on transportation will conduct a public hearing on the fare hike imposed by the Philippine National Railway and its modernization and rehabilitation plan.

Poe said that MRT suffered another glitch amid  rush hour on Feb. 27, causing a southbound train to stop abruptly.

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A series of malfunctions continued to endanger risk the safety and welfare of MRT passengers.

The Department of Transportation and Communications closed  MRT operations from 9 p.m. of Feb. 28 to 12 noon of March 1 to give way to rail replacement works.

Poe also  asked the DOTC to find ways to hasten the repairs to protect the commuters.

During the Feb. 2 Senate public services subcommittee on transport hearing led by Poe, Abaya  presented MRT-3 rehabilitation deliverables with target dates: rail replacement, to be completed by September 2015; signaling system upgrade, September 2015; radio communications upgrade, November 2015; supply of traction motors, October 2015; consulting services, April 2015; ancillary system, April 2016; supply of OCS road-rail vehicle, May 2016; supply of grinding machine rail vehicle, May 2016; total replacement of signaling system, October 2016; conveyance facilities, January 2016; and general train overhaul, June 2017.

Since the hearing, Poe has asked Abaya and train officials to report on the completion of the said projects, including the maintenance of facilities particularly the elevators and escalators, and restrooms as well as the installation of elevated water tanks in the next two months, as officials vowed.

“We definitely want to know the exact level of progress and current accomplishments on every identified rehabilitation project,” she said.

At the Feb. 2 Senate hearing, DOTC Director for Operations Renato San Jose pledged  to complete the installation of elevated water tanks to enable water to reach the 13 stations “in the next three months” or by May 2015, with a P5 million budget.

Abaya also promised the completion of the full rehabilitation of the restrooms in all stations by the “end of the year or early next year.”

He related It is the MRTC, which is the private corporation that owns the MRT train system and facilities that should take care of the upgrade and rehabilitation.  He said all capital expenditure is an obligation of the private sector.

“We feel they were not in a position to do so, thus, we are stepping in.”

The senator reminded the DOTC to submit a report on deductions it has made as “penalties for non-performance” by maintenance provider APT Global, which currently receives P57 million per month, as Abaya said at the hearing.

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