The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to decide on the privatization bidding mode for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) operations and maintenance (O&M) contract by 2027.
Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the decision on the privatization bidding mode—either unsolicited or solicited—for the MRT-3 O&M contract will be finalized in either April or August 2027.
Lopez also noted that someone submitted an unsolicited proposal for the MRT-3 O&M, though he did not disclose the proponent’s identity.
He said the agency’s transaction adviser, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is currently studying both the unsolicited and solicited bidding modes for the MRT-3’s O&M contract.
The DOTr earlier extended the contract of Sumitomo Corp., the current maintenance provider for the MRT-3, for another year or until July 2026.
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, and expanding the pocket track necessary for increasing the number of railcars in a train from 3 to 4, in addition to main line maintenance.
The MRT-3 system’s assets are now fully owned by the Philippine government after the build-lease-transfer (BLT) agreement between the government and Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) for the line expired on July 15, 2025.
Prior to the asset transfer, the government operated the MRT-3, while the MRTC, owned by Metro Rail Transit Holdings II Inc. led by businessman Robert John Sobrepeña, was responsible for the design and construction of the EDSA rail transit system.
Formed in 1995, the MRTC started building the MRT-3 in October 1996, completed it in December 1999 and started full operations in July 2020.
