The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Monday it extended the maintenance contract of Sumitomo Corp. for Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) for another year to ensure the railway line’s continued smooth operation.
“We renewed it, I think for one year, or until next year so that there are no problems in maintaining the MRT-3 system,” DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said.
The DOTr, Sumitomo and Oriental Consultants Global signed a P7.38-billion extended contract in May 2023 for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the line until July 2025.
The new contract’s scope was expanded to include extending rail lines and installing signals to the common station, which is shared with other lines.
It also covers expanding the pocket track necessary for increasing the number of railcars in a train from three to four, in addition to main line maintenance.
Dizon earlier said the privatization of MRT-3’s operations and maintenance (O&M) would proceed despite the extension of Sumitomo’s contract. The agency tapped the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to facilitate the MRT-3’s privatization.
The government operates MRT-3, while the Metro Rail Transit Corp (MRTC), owned by Metro Rail Transit Holdings II Inc. led by businessman Robert John Sobrepeña, is responsible for the design and construction of the EDSA rail transit system.
Dizon had asked Sumitomo to expedite the testing of unused Dalian light rail vehicles (LRVs) to expand the rail system’s capacity.
He said six more Dalian train cars are expected to be operational before the end of the year, with the remaining 42 train cars on track for deployment next year.
The move is crucial for increasing the MRT-3’s passenger capacity and improving commuter experience, he said.
