DOTC chief backtracks on MRT shutdown proposal

MANILA, Philippines - Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya has backtracked on his proposal for a temporary shutdown of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), a Malacañang official said yesterday.

“According to Secretary Abaya, it was a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said when pressed for a categorical Palace stand on the proposal.

He said he verified the matter with Abaya, who had a meeting with President Aquino yesterday morning.

Lacierda added that Malacañang is leaving the matter to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

“If a decision has been made, certainly there will be options that will be part of the decision,” he said.

Abaya was earlier quoted as saying that the government was considering the temporary shutdown of MRT operations to give way to its rehabilitation.

The operations of MRT-3 have been hampered by a series of breakdowns brought about by broken rails, non-working communications system as well as floods. Last Aug. 13, a train overshot the Taft Avenue station and hit a concrete barrier, injuring at least 36 passengers.

Meanwhile, the DOTC is giving interested bidders for the P2.2-billion maintenance contract of MRT-3 more time to prepare their proposals.

DOTC Undersecretary Rene Limcaoco issued General Bid Bulletin 06-2014 postponing the submission and opening of bids to Oct. 28 instead of Oct. 17.

This is the second time that the deadline has been moved. The original deadline for the submission and opening of bids was scheduled on Oct. 13.

Abaya said the government has decided to bid out a longer maintenance contract, as the current one-year contract is too short.

The DOTC has extended the one-year maintenance contract of Autre Potre Technique Global Inc. that expired on Sept. 5.

The maintenance contract is among the close to P10-billion projects being undertaken by the DOTC to improve the operations and decongest the MRT-3. The biggest is the P3.76-billion MRT-3 capacity expansion project, involving the acquisition of 48 brand new trains that was awarded to CNR Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co. of China to increase its capacity by 66 percent to 800,000 per day.

The other projects involve P1.15 billion for the rehabilitation of 28 aging trains of MRT-3; P94.5 million to replace train engine motors; P870 million to upgrade the ancillary systems, including the upgrading of power substation, depot facilities for parking, construction of North Ave. turnback and Taft Ave. pocket track extension to integrate the 48 brand new trains; P185 million to upgrade the signaling system and computer software; P119.5 million to replace 500 pieces of old rail tracks to maximize the speed of light rail vehicles; P110 million to replace and upgrade the entire radio communication system; P50 million to replace obsolete elevators and escalators, and P13.7 million to construct an additional footbridge at the North Ave. station.

Last month, the DOTC formed a maintenance transition team composed of MRT-3 and the Light Rail Transit Authority personnel to work side by side with the existing maintenance operator to address a number of glitches.

APT Global is facing hefty fines in the second half of the year amid the series of glitches and breakdowns of the mass transit system.

The Aquino administration is in the middle of a P53-billion equity value buyout of the private shareholders of MRT Corp. for the complete takeover of the mass transit system.

The 16.9-kilometer mass transit system was constructed as part of an integrated strategy to alleviate traffic congestion along EDSA. The rail system had a fleet of 73 modern and air-conditioned rail cars built by CKD Doprovni System of Prague in the Czech Republic.

It was completed in July 2000 with a design capacity of 350,000 passengers a day but it now services around 540,000 passengers per day or about 55 percent over its design capacity. – With Lawrence Agcaoili