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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has extended the contract of Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3)
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The contracts worth P7.38 billion signed on May 30 extends Sumitomo’s contract until 2025
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Sumitomo will be using four-car train sets instead of the current three-car train sets, increasing MRT-3’s capacity to more than 500,000 from the current 350,000
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has extended Sumitomo Corp.’s contract to rehabilitate and maintain the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3).
DOTr and Sumitomo on May 30 signed the contract for the extended maintenance service, a contractual agreement to continue the maintenance service for MRT-3 until 2025, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement.
The Japanese company was the original designer, builder and initial maintenance provider of MRT-3 when it started operations in 2000. It was replaced as maintenance provider in 2012 and was re-hired in 2019 for the rehabilitation and maintenance works of MRT-3 until May 31, 2023.
Also signed was the variation order agreement, which documents changes or revisions to the original contract to improve the current MRT-3 system.
The supervision consultant extension contract with Oriental Consultants Global, meanwhile, will extend the original contract’s lifetime and ensure the continuity of the supervision of the maintenance works of the MRT-3.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the contracts worth P7.38 billion will enable Sumitomo to provide rehabilitation and maintenance services to the line for the next 26 months.
“This maintenance extension contract will manifest our determination to keep our public transport safe, efficient and convenient,” Bautista said during the signing ceremony.
“We also expect Sumitomo to enhance MRT-3’s operational efficiency by using four-car train sets from the existing three-car sets. This will allow more passengers to traverse the length of EDSA, complementing the convenience offered by the EDSA Bus Carousel,” he added.
The use of four-car-sets will increase the daily ridership of MRT-3 to more than half a million passengers a day from the current 350,000, DOTr said.
Part of the rehabilitation works is the extension of the Taft station pocket track to accommodate four-car trains in the mainline.
Currently, MRT-3 operates 18 three-car trains, while there are six spare trains.
The rehabilitation and maintenance extension contracts cover technical system support, maintenance, spare parts procurement, as well as the provision of other rehabilitation and capacity expansion services to MRT-3, to improve the system’s service reliability, capacity, and long-term sustainability.
The signing of contracts follows the signing on May 26 of the JPY17.4 billion (around US$130 million) loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the rehabilitation of MRT-3.
RELATED READ: PH secures $130M loan for MRT 3 rehab
The MRT 3 is a 16.9-kilometer mass rail transit system with 13 stations along the EDSA corridor from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City.
