The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 will ferry passengers between the northern and southern corridors of Metro Manila faster by the fourth quarter this year, when measures to improve its services have been implemented.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said his office is stepping up its efforts in rehabilitating and upgrading the already “obsolete” technologies of the congested railway line.
Upgrades, he said, would allow for the resumption of the faster operations of the train system, which is currently running at 40 kilometers per hour (kph).
“Hopefully, by fourth quarter of this year, we could bring back [the speed of] trains up to 60 to 65 kph and achieve headway of two to two-and-a-half minutes,” he said in a chance interview.
The government is currently rolling out a P9.7-billion venture to overhaul the line. The complete makeover is expected to be done within the term of President Aquino.
It includes the procurement of additional train coaches, train general overhauling, ancillary systems upgrade, platform-edge doorstep, signaling system upgrade, rail steel replacement, communications system upgrade, traction motors replacement, and the improvement of the overhead catenary system.
The rehab venture also includes security fence and noise barrier, consulting services, upgrade of conveyance facilities, a footbridge for the North Avenue Station, weather protection cladding, Internet connection, passenger information system, and passenger hand straps.
“When the signaling system comes, we could reduce headway or the time in between the trains,” the transport chief said.
The reduction in speed came in last year after several incidents took place including a train overshooting in the southernmost station’s depot.
“Clearly, in 2015, we’re bringing in new trains. We’re upgrading the system and we’re implementing rehabilitation works,” he said.
The government also intends to buy out the corporate owner of the line, the Metro Rail Transit Corp., which is wholly-owned by MRT Holdings II Inc. of businessman Robert John L. Sobrepeña.
The government aims to completely take over the line by the time President Aquino steps down from office in 2016. But recent delays, including the “tying up of loose ends,” are forcing the government to double its efforts to effect the buyout.
One of the requirements to execute the takeover is for the government to strike up a compromise deal with the private owner of the train line.
This would effectively end the ongoing arbitration case in Singapore that was lodged against the government in 2008 due to its failure, as the operator of the line, to pay billions of equity rentals payment to the owner of the rail system.
Should the buyout be completed in 2016, the transportation agency may then bid out the operations and maintenance contract of the line, thereby tapping private-sector efficiency and customer service orientation for operational needs, while retaining regulatory functions for passenger protection with the government.
Separately, local flagship of the Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd. is proposing to shoulder the upgrade costs of the train system and free the government from paying billions of pesos in equity rental payments.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. President Jose Ma. K. Lim said his group will soon submit its $524-million proposal to the Department of Transportation and Communications, which has already rejected the then $565-million offer.
The lower budget for the offer, Metro Pacific Business Development Officer John B. Echauz explained, stemmed from the removal of the automated fare collection system and another component from the proposal.
The unified ticketing system project was auctioned off by the transportation agency in 2013, and was awarded to the consortium between Metro Pacific and Ayala Corp. in 2014.
The total $524 million also included the $30-million working capital and the $229-million budget for the settlement of the government’s equity rental payment.
The group of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan earlier entered into a partnership agreement with the corporate owner of the MRT, a move that would have allowed the firm to invest roughly $600 million to improve the services of the train system.
The venture would effectively expand the capacity of the railway system by adding more coaches to each train, allowing it to carry more cars at faster intervals. The multimillion-dollar expansion plan would double the capacity of the line to 700,000 passengers a day from the current 350,000 passengers daily.
It was submitted in 2011, but the transportation agency’s chief back then rejected the proposal.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza
2 comments
Why, is Abaya resigning? All these glowing promises from someone who allowed the MRT to deteriorate since he took over in 2012 even though he was getting P57M a month for maintenance does not inspire credibility, let alone confidence. Worse, he is still pushing for that buyout plan which no one but he says will work. If he talks with Sobrepena, it will be a first. Let’s stop believing this proven charlatan and just hand it over to the private owners to let the MVP group straighten out this unholy mess.
The rapid decay of MRT under aquino/roxas/abaya DOTC — sinira nila ang MRT ang ayus ayos nun before they took over eh.