The Department of Transportation said Thursday it signed a consultancy contract with Ricardo Rail Australia Pty. Ltd. for Metro Rail Transit Line 4—a mass transit system that will serve the eastern section of Metro Manila.
It said the shadow operator consultant contract with Ricardo Rail Australia is a 12-month agreement that aims to identify, define and develop internationally-accepted best practice operational and maintenance requirements of MRT-4.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the experience and expertise of the shadow operator consultant would help elevate MRT-4 operations to international standards.
Under the contract, Ricardo Rail Australia will prepare for handover to the operations and maintenance concessionaire and ensure that the designs of the engineering and architectural consultant are followed.
The MRT-4 project, which is an Asian Development Bank-funded big-ticket railway, will serve the eastern side of the metropolis and the highly-populated areas of Rizal province. The project is also expected to alleviate traffic problem along Ortigas Ave. in Pasig and Mandaluyong cities and encourage car users to take the train.
“Once operational, the more than 400,000 passengers expected to ride the MRT-4 will be more than grateful for solving the perennial traffic problem along the stretch of Ortigas Ave.,” Bautista said.
The 13.4-kilometer MRT-4 project will have 10 elevated stations traversing Ortigas Ave. and Ortigas Ave. Extension starting from EDSA Station near Robinsons Galleria in Quezon City and ending at Taytay Station near the Taytay Public Market and the intersection of Taytay Diversion Road and Manila East Road.
Travel time from Taytay to N. Domingo is expected to be reduced to 27 minutes.
Construction is expected from 2024 to 2027. The ADB earlier said it would lend $1 billion for the project.