The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 will start using another one of its trains from Chinese company Dalian — four years after the problem-riddled batch of carriages arrived in the country — starting tonight from 8:30pm to 10:30pm.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in today’s statement that the train, which has three coaches and can carry up to 1,050 passengers per trip, will be deployed on the MRT-3 tracks during evening off-peak hours in its initial trial period.
Former President Benigno Aquino III’s administration purchased 48 of the trains for PHP3.8 billion (US$736 million) back in 2015. But operation of the trains has been delayed for years over doubts about their compatibility with the current MRT tracks. It was revealed in a 2018 Senate hearing that only 29 of the 48 trains had signaling systems, and that contrary to the specifications in the contract, the trains weighed more than Manila’s tracks were rated to carry.
The MRT-3 rails can carry a maximum of less than 47 metric tons, but the Dalian trains weigh in at more than 49 — though a railway expert has since cleared the trains, saying they are within the allowable weight limit.
According to DOTr, Japanese firm Sumitomo Corporation-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the company contracted by the government to rehabilitate the MRT’s original coaches, has given the go-ahead for the latest Dalian train’s limited deployment.
The train will run during evening off-peak hours until Sumitomo Corp. begins rail replacement works in November, which should resolve the Dalian trains’ compatibility issues. A safety audit done in July by independent German firm TUV Rheinland has also cleared the trains for operations.
Out of the 48 Dalian trains purchased four years ago, only three have passed the Japanese maintenance provider’s compliance tests, which included a 150-hour trial which they ran in October last year.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy Batan earlier this month said the government and Sumitomo Corp will need to negotiate another contract before all 48 Dalian coaches can be fully integrated into the MRT, ABS-CBN reported.
According to the DOTr, discussions are ongoing between officials from their department, MRT-3, Sumitomo Corporation, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on technical considerations for the Chinese-made trains, especially when rail replacement works ramps up in the coming months.
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