THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said on Tuesday that more than half of the light rail vehicles of the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 (MRT-3) have been overhauled and deployed.
The number of the overhauled light rail vehicles, or LRVs, rose to 39 this month, the department said in a statement. A newly-overhauled LRV was deployed on Jan. 6.
“Sa kasalukuyan, 33 na lamang sa 72 na bagon ng MRT-3 ang naka-schedule ma-overhaul ng maintenance provider ng linya” (Currently, the maintenance provider has only 33 of 72 LRVs left to overhaul), the DoTr said.
“Ang general overhauling ng mga bagon ng MRT-3 ay bahagi ng malawakan at komprehensibong rehabilitasyon ng linya” (the general overhaul of LRVs is part of MRT-3’s comprehensive rehabilitation), it added.
The government imposed a 30% cap on rail passenger capacity during the strictest phases of the community quarantine. It was raised to 70% starting Nov. 4, 2021.
MRT-3 service providers Sumitomo Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd., and TES Philippines, Inc. (Sumitomo-MHI-TESP) have been contracted to overhaul all 72 LRVs.
They were also tasked to replace mainline tracks, rehabilitate power and overhead catenary systems, upgrade signaling, communications and CCTV systems, and repair all escalators and elevators.
The DoTr has said replacement of rails was completed in December 2020.
The MRT-3 rehabilitation project has reduced travel time from the North Avenue Station to the Taft Avenue Station to 45 minutes from the previous one hour and 15 minutes, the department said. — Arjay L. Balinbin
