Audit of China-made trains almost complete, requires weighing test

THE independent auditor of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-3 trains bought from Chinese firm Dalian Locomotive said that a weighing test should be done, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said.

The DoTr said in a statement that the audit of TÜV Rheinland on the Dalian trains is “substantially completed, but not yet concluded”. The firm was awarded the DoTr the contract to audit the system.

“According to TÜV Rheinland’s Interim Report, additional information and documentation on design and validation evidence are still being obtained, and further type and routine tests are still to be conducted,” the DoTr said in a statement.

DoTr added that a weighing test should be done “to eliminate any doubts”.

Amid long queues in MRT stations, there were public questions on why the Dalian trains were not being used.

The DoTr had claimed that the trains bought by the previous government from Chinese firm Dalian were overweight, although an expert had said in a hearing at the House of Representatives said the trains met the weight requirement.

DoTr last November terminated its contract with maintenance provider Busan Universal Rail, Inc. (BURI), citing BURI’s alleged failure to ensure efficient and available trains and failure to procure the proper spare parts.The government took over maintenance afterwards.

There were seven to 10 MRT trains running on Tuesday. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo