
MANILA — Passengers will be assured of comfortable travel experience as the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) system will replace the air-conditioned units of its trains.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has awarded the contract for the systematic replacement of rolling stock air-conditioned units for 10 train sets Monday to the joint venture of Multi-Scan Corporation and MRAIL Inc.
The PHP350-million project will replace 80 air-conditioning units (ACU) for 10 running trains.
“We are happy that the systematic replacement project will now commence. We are aware of the surge of complaints concerning the poor air-conditioning system of trains which is why we ensured that exigent attention is given to resolve the problem,” LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya said in a statement Wednesday.
The initiative is part of the rehabilitation and modernization project of the LRT-2.
Multi-Scan and MRAIL Inc. has committed to provide its expertise and skills in the Systematic ACU Replacement project.
The new air-con units will be able to integrate with the train monitoring system and shall be environment-friendly, energy-efficient and compliant with the Clean Air Act.
Each four-car passenger train has eight ACUs and each AC unit has a 20-24°C cooling capacity to maintain and has the ability to adjust automatically depending on the number of passengers.
However, at present, the cooling capacity of the trains has dropped to 50 percent of its normal cooling capacity due to the antiquated board module since the trains are already 15 years old.
The project is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2019 but LRTA ensures that some of the ACUs will be replaced before the end of this year. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)