FUNDING for the partial rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3—amounting to P1.207 billion—has been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Wednesday.
The package covers the upgrade of the conveyance system, the procurement of overhead catenary system, the procurement of rail-grinding machine and the replacement of the signaling system.
“The rehabilitation of the MRT 3 has been a long time coming, especially in the wake of past challenges faced by MRT commuters. But the release of funds to rehabilitate the MRT 3 will go a long way in improving not only the capacity of the mass- transit system but the overall user experience,” Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said on Wednesday.
The amount is chargeable against the P22.47-billion supplemental appropriations last year.
“With the rehabilitation of the MRT 3 in the offing, we can now offer not only better transport services to the public but also alleviate their concerns over safety and security. This, in turn, may help ease the traffic situation in the Metro as motorists can now take the public transport system instead of using their vehicles to drive to their destinations,” Abad said.
The projects are part of the larger P9.7-billion multiyear venture aimed at overhauling the line. The complete makeover is expected to be done within the term of President Aquino. It also wants to buy out the corporate owner for P54 billion.
But several private groups are proposing a different scheme to modernize the train system, which has been under fire for years now for its mediocre services. The group of businessman Robert John L. Sobrepeña is proposing to do a “quick fix” solution to make the train system safe for public transport.
Together with foreign firms Sumitomo Corp. of Japan and Globalvia Infrastructuras of Spain, Metro Global Holdings Inc. is proposing to “fix” the ailing system through a $150-million investment that involves the procurement of a total of 96 new train cars and the rehabilitation of the existing 73 coaches, increasing its capacity by fourfold to 1.2 million daily passengers.
Under the proposal, a single point of responsibility will be implemented, meaning the rehabilitation and the maintenance of the line will be handled by a single company.
Separately, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is proposing to shoulder the upgrade costs of the train system and release the government from the bondage of paying billions of pesos in equity rental payments.
The group of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, which earlier entered into a partnership agreement with the corporate owner of the MRT, intends to spend $524 million to overhaul the line.
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.
On the other hand, German firms Schunk Bahn-und Industrietechnik GmbH and HEAG Mobilo GmbH are seeking to place the whole train system under a massive transformation program to augment its capacity and to provide a safe and comfortable travel to commuters from the northern and southern corridors of Metro Manila. The P4.64-billion proposal, submitted in February with Filipino partner Comm Builders and Technology Phils. Corp. (CB&T), calls for the complete overhaul of the 73 light-rail vehicles of the MRT, the replacement of the rails, the upgrading of the line’s ancillary system, the upgrade of the track circuit and signaling systems, the modernization of the conveyance system and a three-year maintenance contract.
(With Estrella Torres)
2 comments
okay, this project should be ready for implementation by July 1, 2016…..just in time for the next administration to cancel it.
Glad to see that a lot of private organizations are keen to improve our train system.
However with the release of the budget from DMB, i think a few people’s purse will be filled thats why the proposal’s were all rejected.
someone should make this transparent to the public, update on who, how and on-going update on the spending and the modernization development itself otherwise this budget will be gone like magic… tamaan ung mga tatamaan sa opinion ko lamang po…