The Transport department is capping off 2017 by making significant progress on the constant overcrowding and breakdowns of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3).
The government has not only begun talks with Japan to fund a new maintenance contract for the MRT 3, it also identified a safety auditor to inspect the incompatible Dalian cars from China to see whether they can still be used.
Transport Assistant Secretary for Rails TJ Batan told CNN Philippines on Tuesday that the country and Japan will exchange notes verbale this week. Both governments will set down terms for Japan to fund the MRT 3's maintenance through an official development assistance (ODA) package.
Among them will be a feasibility study the Japanese government will undertake in January to assess what needs to be fixed in the problematic train line.
Batan said, "We will admit, we don't fully know all the problems of the MRT 3 yet. This study will help us understand what the maintenace contract should cover and how much it will cost."
Once the study is completed, Japan will nominate a contractor — likely Sumitomo Corp., which built and designed the MRT 3 system from 1998-2000 and maintained it from 2000-2012.
"Technical continuity is something we are looking for, which is why we think Japan will select our previous contractor," Batan said. He added that once Sumitomo is onboard, work should begin by May 2018.
Even as negotiations with Japan gather speed, the Transport department has also opened up talks with other foreign governments keen to invest in the MRT 3's maintenance.
Batan said both Spain and Singapore are offering ODAs and their homegrown firms Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Corp., respectively, as possible contractors.
"Until we have signed a deal with Japan, we also want to make sure that the government of the Philippines always has a backup. We're not tied to one option," Batan said.
The government took over the maintenance of the MRT 3 after it fired the previous provider, Busan Universal Rail, Inc. last November for their failure to perform.
However, glitches have continued since then. On Tuesday morning, a southbound train unloaded about 900 passengers after an electrical failure in its motor. It was the 26th glitch this month and the 61st since the government took control of the MRT's maintenance.
The government also identified an independent safety auditor to assess whether it can still use the 48 new Dalian cars it bought from China in 2013 but were later found to be incompatible with the MRT's current train tracks.
German certification firm TÜV Rheinland was selected by the Transport department's Bid and Awards Committee to conduct the audit, Batan said. The contract will likely be awarded on Wednesday.
Other firms that were considered were fellow German company TÜV SÜD and French firm Bureau Veritas.
If the audit shows that the cars cannot be used at all, the government will return them to Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Batan said. But if the findings show they can still be used if adjustments are made, the government will invest in the adjustments so the MRT's capacity can be increased as soon as possible.
The MRT can regularly run 15 trains, comprised of 45 cars, every day, Batan said. For the same ridership of 500,000 daily passengers, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) runs 103 cars.
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/12/26/dotr-2017-progress-mrt.html
The government has not only begun talks with Japan to fund a new maintenance contract for the MRT 3, it also identified a safety auditor to inspect the incompatible Dalian cars from China to see whether they can still be used.
Transport Assistant Secretary for Rails TJ Batan told CNN Philippines on Tuesday that the country and Japan will exchange notes verbale this week. Both governments will set down terms for Japan to fund the MRT 3's maintenance through an official development assistance (ODA) package.
Among them will be a feasibility study the Japanese government will undertake in January to assess what needs to be fixed in the problematic train line.
Batan said, "We will admit, we don't fully know all the problems of the MRT 3 yet. This study will help us understand what the maintenace contract should cover and how much it will cost."
Once the study is completed, Japan will nominate a contractor — likely Sumitomo Corp., which built and designed the MRT 3 system from 1998-2000 and maintained it from 2000-2012.
"Technical continuity is something we are looking for, which is why we think Japan will select our previous contractor," Batan said. He added that once Sumitomo is onboard, work should begin by May 2018.
Even as negotiations with Japan gather speed, the Transport department has also opened up talks with other foreign governments keen to invest in the MRT 3's maintenance.
Batan said both Spain and Singapore are offering ODAs and their homegrown firms Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Corp., respectively, as possible contractors.
"Until we have signed a deal with Japan, we also want to make sure that the government of the Philippines always has a backup. We're not tied to one option," Batan said.
The government took over the maintenance of the MRT 3 after it fired the previous provider, Busan Universal Rail, Inc. last November for their failure to perform.
However, glitches have continued since then. On Tuesday morning, a southbound train unloaded about 900 passengers after an electrical failure in its motor. It was the 26th glitch this month and the 61st since the government took control of the MRT's maintenance.
The government also identified an independent safety auditor to assess whether it can still use the 48 new Dalian cars it bought from China in 2013 but were later found to be incompatible with the MRT's current train tracks.
German certification firm TÜV Rheinland was selected by the Transport department's Bid and Awards Committee to conduct the audit, Batan said. The contract will likely be awarded on Wednesday.
Other firms that were considered were fellow German company TÜV SÜD and French firm Bureau Veritas.
If the audit shows that the cars cannot be used at all, the government will return them to Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Batan said. But if the findings show they can still be used if adjustments are made, the government will invest in the adjustments so the MRT's capacity can be increased as soon as possible.
The MRT can regularly run 15 trains, comprised of 45 cars, every day, Batan said. For the same ridership of 500,000 daily passengers, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) runs 103 cars.
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/12/26/dotr-2017-progress-mrt.html
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