The national government will allocate another P2.56 billion to sustain the revitalization of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) and improve the commuting experience of passengers, according to Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo.
“We have another P2.56 billion for the MRT 3 Rehabilitation Project in the 2025 National Expenditure Program. The sum is on top of the P2.93 billion earmarked for the project in the 2024 General Appropriations Law,” he said.
“The government is determined to the renew the MRT 3 to enhance passenger comfort and safety, accommodate the growing demand for mass public transportation, and alleviate motor vehicle road congestion,” the QC solon added.
Rillo is the vice chairperson of the committee on Metro Manila development and a member of the committee on appropriations in the House of Representatives.
The ongoing MRT 3 rehabilitation project includes the overhaul and upgrading of existing rolling stock, rail tracks, signaling system, power supply system, overhead catenary system, communications system, and depot and station equipment.
“The project is meant to improve the overall dependability of the MRT 3 as a fast and efficient mode of public transportation,” Rillo said.
Out of the P2.56 billion to be spent for the rehabilitation project in 2025, the Quezon City lawmaker said P2 billion would come from loan proceeds, while the balance of P560 million would be covered by government counterpart funding.
In 2023, the government signed a P6.9-billion supplemental loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the second phase of the rehabilitation project.
The MRT 3 conveyed an aggregate of 129,030,158 commuters in 2023, up by more than 30 percent from 98,330,683 passengers in 2022, according to the Light Rail Transit Authority. Daily ridership averaged at 357,198 in 2023 from 273,141 in 2022.
