MRT firm hits back at DOTC

MANILA, Philippines—The private sector group behind the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 elevated railway in Metro Manila hit back at the government on Wednesday, criticizing the transportation department’s “lack of maintenance operations.”

The latest development in an ongoing word war between the consortium behind MRT 3’s operator, MRT Holdings Corp., and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) came ahead of a court hearing for an injunction with a temporary restraining order to stop a deal between the government and a Chinese company to supply badly needed train cars for MRT 3.

The Makati Regional Trial Court has set the hearing Thursday.

MRT Holdings spokesman David Narvasa said in the statement that DOTC should focus on ensuring the safety of the MRT 3 coaches “instead of insisting on illegally procuring 48 light rail vehicles from CNR Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co.” He reiterated that this was a violation of the existing build-lease-transfer agreement between the government and MRT Corp.

“DOTC should address the main issue of its role as lessee under the BLT agreement instead of pushing for the award and delivery of light rail vehicles outside the terms and conditions of the BLT agreement,” he said.

Narvasa cited the DOTC’s track record in maintaining LRT-1, with less than 65 percent of the trains available for operations.

“The MRT group also made several proposals to acquire additional LRVs from before 2007, and the 2010 proposal of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. to supply additional trains at no cost to the government—all remain in limbo and have not been responded to by DOTC,” Narvasa said.