The government should have nearly completed the delivery of the 120 new train coaches for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 by now. Today, however, the government just moved a step closer to awarding the contract to a Japanese supplier.
Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) President Rogelio L. Singson said he just received word from the government that it will be awarding the P30-billion project to a contractor soon after it was endorsed and confirmed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
The auction was only opened to Japanese companies, as it will be financed under Tokyo’s official development assistance program. Two groups have submitted their bids for the multibillion-peso contract: the South Korean-Japanese camp of Hyundai Rotem and partner Marubeni, and the Spanish-Japanese tandem of Grupo Caf and Mitsubishi.
Should the government proceed with the opening of the bids on Friday, the contract could be awarded sometime this month, following an almost two-week evaluation.
“The delivery should start by the last quarter of 2019 and end by 2020. That is just in time for the completion of the Cavite extension of the railway system,” Singson said.
Based on the concession agreement signed between the government and the private company, the state should have started receiving the new train coaches in December last year. It should have been completed by October this year.
However, the first round of auction for the train-supply contract was declared a failure because of the “increased demand for train coaches in Japan due to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics”.
When procured, these 120 light-rail vehicles (LRVs) will be configured in 30 four-car train sets, to allow the rail line to accommodate up to about 750,000 passengers daily.
The winning bidder will cover the technical design of the coaches, procurement of materials required for manufacturing the LRVs, and ensure compliance with technical specifications through testing.
The contractor will be required to submit a project-management plan, design and development plan, as well as an inspection, testing and commissioning plan, to allow smooth implementation.
“The delivery should have started in December 2016, that is why we had to make do with what we have, and see what we could upgrade—that is a big challenge,” Singson lamented.
Just recently, the company ventured into a P1-billion restoration program for 25 of its train cars. With this initiative, the railway system has immensely improved its operations with 104 train coaches running.
With the expanded fleet, a new train timetable was implemented, thereby increasing the number of trips on weekdays from 498 to 554 trips daily. This has helped shorten queuing time and reduced headway for the passengers.
“We added 50 trips daily, and because of that, load factor during peak hours has been reduced. We used to hit more than 100-percent load factor per train during peak hours. It tapers off during off peak,” he said.
Load factor refers to the difference between the capacity of a facility and the number of people using it.
“Now, on the daily average, we are hitting an average of about 85-percent load factor. It used to be more than 90 percent because of the fewer number of trains,” Singson added.
He noted that his group is also rehabilitating 16 more coaches. A team of engineers and finance experts are set to go abroad to look for spare parts from original equipment manufacturers, some of which are owned by different entities today.
“But definitely, the new trains are very important because they can help keep the load factor to 85 percent, which is the optimum number,” Singson said.
The new trains will mean there will be more trips on the railway facility, which will be extended to an additional 50 percent of its current length.
“The additional 120 LRVs will come in very handy. Ideally, we should have 55 trains with four LRVs per train, so that’s a total of 220 working coaches,” Singson said.
Hopefully, he added, these new coaches will come in very soon so the operator can have a 10-percent reserve throughout its operations.
The LRT 1 BN and ACEC 1st Generation LRV, Hyundai Precision and Adtranz 2nd Generation LRV and Kinki Sharyo and Nippon Sharyo 3rd Generation LRV will be the first MRT rolling stock on the NSEWL to be fitted with fold-up seats, and a newer Dynamic Route Map Display.
These new train cars are needed to complement the construction of the new train stations in Cavite.
Targeted for completion in about four years after the delivery of right of way, the 11.7-kilometer Cavite Extension will connect into the existing system immediately south of the Baclaran Station and run in a generally southerly direction to Niog, Bacoor City. It will consist of elevated guideways throughout the majority of the alignment, except for the guideway section at Zapote, which will be located at grade.
Eight new stations will be provided with three intermodal facilities across Pasay City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City and Bacoor City. The new stations are Aseana, MIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Doctor Santos, Las Pinas, Zapote and Niyog. The intermodal facilities shall be located at Doctor Santos, Zapote and Niyog.
The new stations will be accessible to and from nearby community facilities, such as shops, schools, stadium, park, etc., and be located to suit passenger flow routes from residential areas.
Pedestrian access to all new stations will be direct, safe and easy. Details, such as lighting to distinguish access points, pedestrian cross striping and curb cuts for handicapped access, will also be provided.
LRMC holds the concession for the operations, maintenance and the extension of the train line. It signed the agreement with the government in October 2014. The company will operate and maintain the oldest train system in the Philippines for 32 years.
