MANILA — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is on track with its target to acquire a new maintenance provider for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) by June.
This, as the department signed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) last Friday the minutes of discussion for the appraisal mission wherein details on the estimate of costs, scope and schedule of the rehabilitation and maintenance works were finalized.
The appraisal mission was conducted over the course of last week through technical discussions between officials of JICA and DOTr.
This will pave the way for the signing of the loan agreement and the mobilization of the new rehabilitation and maintenance provider for the MRT-3 by June this year.
“Once all documents are set, ready to go na tayo. Hinihintay na lang iyung loan agreement. Kapag napirmahan na iyon, start na tayo (Once all documents are set, we’re ready to go. We are just waiting for the loan agreement. Once this is already signed, we will start),” DOTr Public Information Office Director Godess Hope Libiran said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Tuesday.
The rehabilitation and maintenance of the MRT-3 system is expected to take three and a half years or 43 months wherein the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore the railway system to its original design and capacity will be conducted for two and a half years while the defect liability period will last for 12 months.
The scope of works of the project, with cost estimated at 34.480 billion Japanese yen (PHP16.985 billion), will cover the MRT-3’s trains, power supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, CCTV system, PABX public address system, signaling system, rail tracks, road rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators, and other station building equipment.
The appraisal mission is part of JICA’s and the Government of Japan’s processes for all Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects, according to the DOTr.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said the department is eyeing to rehire Sumitomo Corporation to conduct maintenance works for the railway system.
Sumitomo, along with its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was the original maintenance provider of the MRT from 2000 to 2012 and was the one that designed and built the railway system from 1998 to 2000.
The procurement of a maintenance and rehabilitation service provider will be done under a Government to Government (G2G) ODA platform with the Government of Japan. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
