MANILA — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) started the deployment of trains from Chinese firm CCRC Dalian on Saturday.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and other DOTr officials boarded the initial trip of a train set with three cars which completed its route from North Avenue to Taft Avenue.
“Matapos ang patung-patong na audit, assessment, testing, at validation ng iba’t-ibang mga banyaga at lokal na mga eksperto, nagsimula na po ang gradual deployment ng Dalian trains para sa passenger service ng MRT-3 (After a series of audit, assessment, testing and validation by local and foreign experts, we have started the gradual deployment of Dalian trains for the passenger service of MRT-3),” the DOTr said on its official Facebook page.
The DOTr targets the Dalian trains to be initially deployed for 150 hours during off-peak hours and weekends to test their reliability and performance on the MRT revenue line.
“After they have already completed 150 hours during off-peak hours and weekends, the train cars can now be deployed during peak hours,” DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said in a press conference on the same day.
The 48 Dalian light rail vehicles (LRVs) were delivered in 2016 but were not deployed to the MRT line due to compatibility issues.
Supplier CCRC Dalian eventually agreed to absorb the costs for the adjustments of the trains.
The other 45 LRVs are currently undergoing a battery of tests and validations before they will be deployed to the MRT system.
The screening process of the trains consist of a 1,000 kilometer test run; and functionality test to examine its features like its doors, lighting, braking system, among others; examination by German company TUV Rheinland and Japanese firm Toshiba Infrastructure Systems; and a validation by the Philippine National Railways.
So far, 14 trains have completed the 1,000-km. test run.
“The instruction of Secretary Tugade is that we do not rush into this so we do not compromise the safety of passengers,” Batan said.
The train coaches are expected to reduce the number of breakdowns of the MRT which has recorded 56 glitches since the start of this year. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
