MRT trains delivery moved to January, 2016

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said the delivery of new trains needed to augment capacity at the busy Metro Rail Transit Line 3 had been pushed back by about three months, a statement on Tuesday showed.

Following an inspection at the factory of Chinese train maker Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company last week, the DOTC said the monthly deliveries of three trains would start in January 2016 instead of the original plan for this to start around October this year.

Dalian won the bid two years ago to supply the government with 48 new MRT train cars, adding to a fleet of more than 72 aging cars.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said in the statement that the delivery for a prototype was still on track for mid-August this year.

“The dynamic testing phase will start in November, which is when the prototype’s bogies will arrive,” Abaya said.

“In the meantime, we will assemble the prototype and check its components ahead of the dynamic testing. The monthly delivery of three   train cars should start in late January 2016,” he added.

The project implementation team indicates that the prototype appears to be of good and reliable quality.

Better traction motors to incorporate alternating current (AC) technology was used instead of direct current (DC) system presently being used, which means less maintenance needs in the future.

“What is important to us is that the train cars, once delivered, will be safe and reliable. So we prefer to be thorough with the manufacture, assembly, checking, and testing of the prototype,” Abaya said.

The MRT3 serves well over half a million people daily, above its designed capacity of 350,000 per day, and this is partly the cause behind long lines and constant glitches.

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