DOTr: 'MRT-3 rehabilitation to begin in February'

MANILA, Philippines — The “comprehensive” rehabilitation of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), the rail line along EDSA, will begin next month, according to the Department of Transportation.

DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan told the House of Representatives committee on transportation on Wednesday that the rail system would continue running while being rehabilitated.

He said the newly hired maintenance service provider, a consortium composed of Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan, would do the rehabilitation.

“We intend to restore the system to its original condition. While improvement works are being done, we aim to gradually increase the facility’s ridership from the current 350,000 commuters daily to 550,000,” he said.

He said the upgrade would cover all aspects of the MRT-3’s operation.

The EDSA rail line has been encountering glitches that result in the offloading of passengers.

Recently, the DOTr tested two light rail vehicles (LRVs) or train coaches procured by the Aquino administration from a Chinese company.

Batan was not asked about the China-made LRVs or the ownership issues hounding MRT-3.

While the government runs the rail line, a private firm owns it.

The Aquino administration tried to buy out the private owners, but the Senate blocked the effort by denying the allocated funds in the national budget.