LRT spends P7.5B to improve facilities

Light Rail Manila Corp. President and CEO Juan Alfonso, along with LRMC COO Rodolfo Chansuyco, inspects the improvements of LRT facilities and coaches at different stations in Manila on Wednesday, May 30, 2018. The P7.5-billion improvement project is under the LRT's capital investment for the betterment of their coaches and other facilities that resulted in the availability of 109 LRT coaches, an increase in ridership of four percent this year, and the increase in daily trips by 9.7 percent. Danny Pata

P10.5-billion NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 completed by 2019

The P10.5-billion North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link Segment 10 will be complete and operational before the end of next year.

Work on the Karuhatan to C3 section of the elevated roadway is now 70 percent complete and will be finished by October, 2018, NLEX Vice President for Project Management Nemesio Castillo yesterday announced.

The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-km elevated expressway traversing the NLEX from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City, Caloocan City and extending to R-10 in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City.

Its C3 to R10 section of the elevated roadway is expected to open by the fourth quarter of 2019, he confirmed.

Featured as one of the big-ticket projects in the said infrastructure plan, the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is expected to alleviate traffic congestion and drive commerce between the Harbor area and Central and North Luzon.

It is seen to advance transport logistics and facilitate efficient delivery of goods by providing an alternative entry to NLEX, bypassing EDSA and other busy streets of Manila.

Once opened, travel time from the Manila Port to the NLEX will take only 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, ongoing survey of affected properties is underway for the NLEX Connector, an 8-kilometer elevated expressway project to be built above the existing PNR tracks from the C3/5th Avenue Interchange in Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Upon its completion in 2020, the elevated expressway will provide motorists another alternative to the daily heavy traffic on EDSA. It is also expected to reduce travel time between NLEX and South Luzon Expressway from 2 hours to only 20 minutes.

“We are optimistic that through the help of our partners in government, we will be able to finish these projects as scheduled to further deliver seamless and safe travel to our motorists,” according to NLEX Corporation Senior Vice President for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio.

Both Chennai metro lines extended

INDIA: Underground extensions of both lines of the Chennai metro were inaugurated on May 25, adding a total of 7·4 km to the network.

The Blue Line was extended by 4·8 km northeast from Little Mount to AG-DMS, with four stations. The Green Line was extended east by 2·6 km from Nehru Park to Central, with an intermediate station at Egmore.

The Blue Line is to be extended further north to Washermanpet. When this extension opens, Central will offer interchange between the two lines.

Key road project opening soon

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar on Tuesday said his department would open a portion of a road project that he said would significantly ease vehicular traffic in Metro Manila, describing it as a “major blow” on the metropolis’ infamous road congestion.

The opening of a portion of North Luzon Expressway’s (NLEx) Harbor Link Segment 10 would be done in time for President Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address in July, Villar said.

Speedy work

Villar, however, said Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials were still discussing which portion of the 5.58-kilometer elevated road connecting McArthur Highway and C3 would be opened to motorists.

He said the DPWH is speeding up work on the project to complete it by the third quarter of the year.

The project’s completion was hastened after the DPWH resolved 90 percent of road right-of-way issues and finished 75 percent of all civil works, Villar said.

Once completed, the P9-billion Segment 10 was expected to carry at most 50,000 cars daily and reduce the travel time from Valenzuela City to C-3 from an hour to just 5 minutes.

Its spur line to R10 was also expected to be completed by yearend, Villar said.

“This will have a big effect on our traffic [situation],” he said.

He said the project would “significantly improve” movement of cargo from Manila ports “by providing a direct connection” between two major roads—R10 and NLEx.

Bypassing bottlenecks

It would also “decongest Metro Manila roads by providing direct access to NLEx” for vehicles that would not need to pass through Edsa or the Balintawak part of NLEx, Villar said.

Villar added that the project, which started construction during the Aquino administration in May 2014, was “our first major blow on traffic in Metro Manila.”

Apart from Segment 10, the DPWH will also work on the construction next year of the four-lane Segment 8.2.

This will take an eastward route from Segment 8.1 along Republic Avenue, before turning to Luzon Avenue and ending on Commonwealth Avenue.



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Jobs portal to go with infra buildup

The Department of Public Works and Highways has launched a portal that will consolidate job opportunities under the government’s Build Build Build program, where at least 11,000 job openings have been posted.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the online jobs site aims to merge all employment opportunities from all concessionaires and construction companies involved in the government’s flagship infrastructure program.

“The ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ Portal will serve as a job matching platform between potential employers and employees as the government moves to complement its “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure initiatives with more job opportunities for Filipinos,” Villar said.

“The new portal will enhance our goal of reaching Filipinos here and abroad to join the government’s infrastructure push,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade added.

The online portal aims to create more jobs for Filipinos, address the demand for workers to ensure fast and timely delivery of BBB projects, encourage returning overseas Filipino workers to remain in the country and encourage more overseas workers to return home.

Before the launch, NLEX Corp. senior vice president for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio and vice president for Project Management Nemesio Castillo led the inspection of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, one of the projects under the BBB program.

Castillo said the “project’s progress at the Karuhatan to C3 section now stands at 70 percent, with projected completion seen by October 2018, while the C3 to R10 section is expected to open by the fourth quarter of 2019.”

“NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-kilometer elevated expressway traversing the NLEX from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City, Caloocan City and extending to R-10 in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City,” Villar added.

In the House, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte expressed hope that Congress will soon enact a law that will encourage employers to allow their employees to work from home.

House Bill 7402, also known as the telecommuting bill, was consolidated and approved on third and final reading on Monday by a vote of 239-0.

Villafuerte, principal author of the bill, said the telecommuting bill that will also help ease the worsening traffic congestion in urban centers as this would clear the way for flexi-work that is fast becoming the norm in many business process outsourcing companies.

“This is the future of work. As we enter the era of rapid technology-driven innovations, we should be prepared to take advantage of its many positive benefits. Implementing flexible work schedules that allow work-from-home arrangements is among these benefits,” said Villafuerte.

The consolidated measure incorporates Villafuerte’s original bill, HB 5630, which institutes such work-from-home arrangements.

Villafuerte said another advantage of work-from-home arrangements is that it will boost the capability of employers to hire talent that they could otherwise not tap because of location restrictions.

“With telecommuting, companies that, say are based in Metro Manila or Central Luzon, can hire highly skilled employees even if they live as far as Davao,” he said.

“Companies should start rethinking the way they measure the quality and quantity of work rendered by their employees. Putting in hours at the office doesn’t necessarily mean increased productivity. Working from home could accomplish the same results done at the office in less time,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte’s proposal, which was included in the consolidated measure, ensures that work-from-home employees get fair treatment, by compelling employers to provide them the same workload and performance standards, regular and overtime pay rates, extra monetary benefits, access to training and career growth opportunities, and collective rights being received by others working in their respective employers’ premises.

Villafuerte proposed that the Department of Labor and Employment establish a three-year pilot program for telecommuting or work-from-home arrangements in select local industries with the goal of profiling and evaluating how this policy can be effective and tailored to fit the needs of both employers and employees.

In the Senate, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV has filed a bill calling for a rollback on the excise tax on fuel imposed by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law to help workers cope with rapidly rising prices.

“The workers and the other sectors are now asking help. Let us act and roll back the excise tax on petroleum products,” Aquino said. “A suspension in 2019 is too late.”

He was referring to a move to suspend the excise tax on fuel beginning in 2019, which is allowed under the TRAIN Law.

The government, Aquino noted, must admit the problems caused by the tax reform program and find ways to lower prices of goods and services by rolling back the excise tax.

Aquino’s bill would roll back excise taxes once inflation surpasses the annual target rate over a three-month period.

LRT2 operator targets better air-conditioning by June

Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) operator Light Rail Authority (LRTA) started the procurement of locally-sourced parts to fix the poor air-conditioning of the railway system.

In a statement, the LRTA announced on Tuesday, May 29, that the control board module of the air-conditioning units will be reengineered, pending the completion of the systematic replacement of units by 2019.

LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya said the cooling capacity of the trains had dropped by 50%, since these trains have been running for 15 years.

"We can't allow our passengers to suffer from the poor air-conditioning system of our trains for more than 8 months, so we focused exigent attention on the problem to immediately address it and make our trains cooler," Berroya said.

He added that the air-conditioning units of at least two trains will be fixed by the second week of June, while the reengineering works will be completed within 6 weeks.

The P350-million project will also include the replacement of a total of 80 units for 10 running trains, which will take 8 to 12 months to complete. A notice to proceed was issued last April 18.

In the meantime, the LRTA administrator asked for the understanding of the public.

"We are appealing for understanding and patience from our riding public while rehabilitation projects are underway. LRTA is doing its best to provide them with a safe, reliable, and comfortable journey," Berroya said.

In the past months, many commuters have been complaining of the poor air-conditioning system of the LRT2, especially during rush hour when it is packed with people. (LOOK: Commuters endure long lines at LRT2)

Aside from fixing the air-conditioning system, the LRTA has lined up other major rehabilitation works, such as improvement of train stations and the LRT2 depot, water treatment and materials recovery facilities, and replacement of elevators and lighting fixtures.

The LRT2 is a 13.8-kilometer train system that started operations in 2003. It serves 250,000 passengers daily from Recto Station in Manila to Santolan Station in Pasig City. 

NLEX Harbor Link set to open this year

NLEX Corp. said Tuesday it expects to complete the construction of the North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10 by October this year.

Once opened, Harbor Link Segment 10 would cut travel time from Manila Port to NLEX to only 10 minutes.

NLEX president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco told reporters the over P11-billion NLEX Harbor Link was already 75-percent completed. Franco attended the launching of the government’s ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ portal which offers thousands of job opportunities in the infrastructure sector.

Franco said the government already delivered 90 percent of the right of way for the project.  He said the remaining 10 percent of ROW would be crucial to complete the project by October.

NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-kilometer elevated expressway traversing NLEX from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City, Caloocan City and extending to R-10 in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City.

Featured as one of the big-ticket projects in the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program, the NLEX Harbor Link is envisioned to alleviate traffic congestion and drive commerce between the Harbor area and Central and North Luzon.

It is seen to advance transport logistics and facilitate efficient delivery of goods by providing an alternative entry to NLEX, bypassing Edsa and other busy streets of Manila. 

Nlex Corp. to rush P10.5-billion road linking Nlex to Manila port area

NLEX Corp. is rushing to complete a P10.5-billion, 5.76-kilometer road that will link the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) to the port area in Manila by the second half of 2018, several officials said on Tuesday.

Rodrigo E. Franco, the company’s president, said his group targets to complete Segment 10 of the Nlex Harbor Link sometime in October, as the government continues to deliver much-needed right-of-way for the road’s construction.

“We are about 90-percent complete in terms of right-of-way, and construction is about 75 percent. So there’s just a small portion left for us to finish the project in October,” he said in a chance interview.

Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar committed to deliver the remaining 10-percent easement soon—a portion that runs between Malabon and Caloocan.

“We are doing our best for the timely completion of Segment 10 that will significantly improve the movement of cargo from the Port of Manila by providing a direct connection between R-10 and Nlex, and decongest Metro Manila roads by providing direct access to Nlex without passing through Edsa or the Balintawak Toll Plaza,” Villar said.

The Cabinet official was referring to the extension of the segment all the way to R-10 to decongest the port area in Manila.  Nlex Corp. Senior Vice President Raul L. Ignacio noted the project’s extension could be opened by the end of 2019.

“The C-3 to R-10 section is expected to open by the fourth quarter of 2019,” he said.

Nlex Harbor Link Segment 10 is envisioned to alleviate traffic congestion and drive commerce between the Harbor area and Central and North Luzon. It is seen to advance transport logistics and facilitate efficient delivery of goods by providing an alternative entry to Nlex, bypassing Edsa and other busy streets of Manila.

Once opened, travel time from the Manila port to the Nlex will take only 10 minutes.

Expressway linking CAMANAVA to NLEX expected to be completed within the year

The elevated expressway that links Caloocan, Valenzuela, and Navotas to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is expected to be completed within the year, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said today.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar together with Department of Transportation Secretary Art Tugade led the inspection on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 of NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 which covers the 5.58 kilometer 6-lane road from McArhur Highway to Valenzuela City to Circumferential R 3 (C-3) Caloocan City and a 2.6-kilometer 4-lane elevated road from C-3 Road, Caloocan City to R-10, Navotas City for completion this 2018. (Mark Balmores/Manila Bulletin)

Villar announced during the launch of Build, Build, Build’s online job site — “Jobs, Jobs,Jobs” — that the agency is eyeing to finish the construction of the 8.25-kilometer NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 by the third quarter of the year.

He also said they are planning to partially open the elevated expressway by the President’s State of the Nation Address however details are still being discussed.

“We are doing our best for the timely completion of Segment 10 that will significantly improve the movement of cargo from the Port of Manila by providing a direct connection between R10 and NLEX and decongest Metro Manila roads by providing direct access to NLEX without passing through EDSA or the Balintawak Toll Plaza,” Villar said.

NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-kilometer segment, covering 6-lane road from McArthur Highway to Valenzuela City to Circumferential Road 3 (C-3), Caloocan City, which will likewise improve movement of cargo between NLEX and Radial Road 10.

Completing the segment is a four-lane elevated road from C-3 Road, Caloocan City to R-10, Navotas City.

The elevated expressway is seen to help decongest the heart of Metro Manila which will provide access to NLEX without passing through EDSA or the Balintawak Toll Plaza. Using this expressway, travel time from Valenzuela City to C-3 Caloocan City will be reduced from more than one hour to only five minutes.

It is expected to benefit around 30,000 motorists per day.

Further, Villar said another 8.35-kilometer portion under Segment 8.2 will be constructed to complete the entire NLEX Harbor Link Project which is a 21.65-km toll road extension of NLEX from Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City to the C-3 in Caloocan City and to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Segment 8.2 involves the construction of a four-lane road from Segment 8.1 at Mindanao Avenue to Republic Avenue turning right to Luzon Avenue up to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Its construction will start in 2019 or earlier pending road right-of-way acquisition.

The NLEX Harbor Link Project is being implemented by concessionaire Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) under the supervision of Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), with road right-of-way (RROW) acquisition under the DPWH.

Meanwhile, ongoing survey of affected properties is underway for the NLEX Connector, an 8-kilometer elevated expressway project to be built above the existing PNR tracks from the C3/5th Avenue Interchange in Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila.

It is projected to be completed in 2020 and provide motorists another option aside from EDSA. It is expected to reduce travel time between NLEX and South Luzon Expressway from two hours to only 20 minutes.

San Miguel eyes TPLEx extension to Ilocos Sur

San Miguel Corp. submitted an unsolicited offer to the Department of Public Works and Highways to extend the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, or TPLEx, to Ilocos Sur with an estimated stretch of 100 kilometers, its top official said Tuesday.

“We proposed an extension of TPLEx going to Ilocos. It’s pending with DPWH for them to evaluate. If they like the project they will give an OPS (Original Proponent Status), and then subject to Swiss Challenge,” San Miguel president Ramon Ang told reporters.

He said the proposed 100-km extension would start from Rosario, La Union and end in the first town of Ilocos Sur.

“We are still looking at the costing,” Ang said.

San Miguel-led Private Infra Dev Corp. holds the concession for TPLEx. The expressway is an 88.85-km, four-lane, high-speed toll road that connects Northern Luzon to Manila. It is designed to integrate with other major toll roads such as North Luzon Expressway and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. 

The construction of TPLEx began in 2010 in three phases. The first was completed in April 2014, running from Tarlac City to Carmen, Pangasinan. The second stretching from Carmen to Urdaneta was completed in December 2014. The third section from Urdaneta to Rosario, La Union is expected to be completed in 2018.

TPLEx reduced travel time from Tarlac City to Gerona from 45 minutes to 10 minutes, benefitting 8,000 vehicles per day.

It trimmed travel time from Tarlac City to Paniqui, Tarlac from one hour to 15 minutes, benefiting 10,000 vehicles per day and cut travel time from Tarlac to Rosales from two hours to 30 minutes with 13,000 vehicles per day benefitting.

It also reduced travel time from Tarlac to Urdaneta from two hours and 30 minutes to 40 minutes and cut travel time from Tarlac to Rosario from 3.5 hours to one hour.

PIDC is the proponent of the TPLEX through the Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) Scheme under the BOT Law. PIDC is an all-Filipino consortium led by Rapid Thoroughfares Inc. (a wholly owned SMC Subsidiary), Grand Trackway Holdings Inc., DMCI Holdings Inc., and D.M. Consunji, Inc. as partners.

San Miguel proposes 100-km TPLEX extension up to Ilocos

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has submitted an unsolicited proposal to extend the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) by another 100 kilometers (km) to reach the Ilocos province.

The group has sent its project proposal to Public Works Secretary Mark Villar for evaluation, SMC president Ramon Ang said in an interview yesterday.

“We proposed for the extension of TPLEX going to Ilocos,” he said. “It is now pending with the DPWH for them to evaluate.”

Congress: New more provinces in 2020

The Congress wants to re-file the creation of provinces from mother provinces, after the creation of province of Davao Occidental from the province of Davao del Sur on October 28, 2013.

NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 to be completed in Q3

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link Segment 10 is expected to be completed in the third quarter of the year, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Tuesday.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said the Harbor Link Segment 10 will be completed in the next two to four months.

“We’re hoping we can possibly soft open by the SONA, but definitely by the third quarter of this year, fully tapos na ‘yan, fully open,” he told reporters during a press conference.

Sought for more details on the possible soft opening to coincide with President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, Villar said the details are still being discussed.

The Harbor Link Segment 10 is an elevated expressway linking the MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City and the C3 Road in Caloocan City, which will cater mostly to delivery trucks.

“Ang expectation natin, minimum 30,000 cars a day, highest 50,000 na gagamit sa Harbor Link. So ‘yung mga trucks na dating dumadaan sa C5, dumadaan sa Manila, dumadaan sa Quezon City, dadaan nalang sila NLEX via sa Harbor Link,” Villar said.

According to the government's Build, Build, Build website, the project is a 5.58-kilometer, six-lane, elevated expressway which will utilize the existing PNR railroad tracks that cut across the cities of Valenzuela and Malabon.

It is expected to reduce the travel time from Valenzuela City to Caloocan City to 5 minutes from the one hour.

The project is a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative of the government with Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) which has shelled out nearly P12 billion for the development.

“Ten billion pesos on construction side and two billion pesos on other expenditures including financing cost during construction,” MNTC president and CEO Rodrigo Franco told reporters separately.

“Definitely, beneficial ... especially to vehicles going to the port. They can use this. Coming from NLEX, they can use this and go to the port,” he said.

Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) said the Harbor Link Segment 10 is expected to be completed in the next five months based on current developments.

“Right of way, 90 percent. Construction, mga 75 (percent). Kaunti nalang talaga. Third quarter to mga October. ‘Yan lang kasi ang crucial pa rin ang remaining 10 percent ng right of way,” Franco noted.

Once the additional segment is operational, he said motorists may expect to pay an additional P6 or P7, but nothing has been finalized. —VDS, GMA News

LRT 1 extension offers traffic solution in South

One good round deserves another, so the bromide goes. In this case, the Light Rail Transit 1, which has proven to be a reliable transporter of people, merits an extension.     

In fact, the Light Rail Manila Corporation, the private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1,  has been reiterating the urgency of the Cavite Extension as the solution for decongesting Metro Manila traffic and improving the quality of life of residents in the three cities south of Manila.

“Land travel time from Baclaran to Bacoor is currently at one and a half hours a day, during rush hour on the average; we can bring that down to only 30 minutes,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso exclaimed. “From Baclaran to Sucat, it will be only 15 minutes; Baclaran to Zapote, 20 minutes.”

This project, he said, can save passengers around three hours of travel time per day, which means being able to sleep longer and having more time to spend with the family.

“You don’t have to wake up at 3 am or 4 am to be in Manila for work because you know the train will be there every three and a half minutes or so and that travel time is very predictable, is traffic-free,” he added.

Right now, he said the almost 500,000 daily LRT-1 passengers travelling between Baclaran and Roosevelt in Quezon City know what it is like not to be caught in traffic, being home early and sleeping enough because it takes only 35 minutes to traverse this 14-kilometer stretch.

“And they pay P30.00, which is comparable to a bus fare. We are still investing billions of pesos to further improve our service.”

LRMC is a joint venture company of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), Ayala Corporation’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL).

The Cavite Extension, totaling 11.7km in length, shall consist of elevated guideways throughout the majority of the alignment. The only at grade guideway section shall be located at Zapote, consisting of the Satellite Depot and New Station. 

The Cavite Extension shall connect to the existing Baclaran Station. It will have eight new stations namely, Redemptorist, MIA, Asia World; Ninoy Aquino; Dr Santos; Las Pinas; Zapote; and Niog. Dr Santos, Zapote, and Niog Stations shall provide transfers to other modes transportation. 

Alfonso also reported that since assuming operations and maintenance of LRT-1 in September 2015, LRMC has already invested P7.5 billion towards the improvement of operational efficiencies and customer experience on LRT-1. “We have significantly increased the number of trains and trips, reduced queueing time and travel time, as well as improved the safety, security, and cleanliness of the stations.”

LRT-1 fleet was at 109 cars as of March 2018, which is expected to increase to 121 cars by yearend. The increased number of train cars has resulted in the 9.7 percent increase in average daily trips from 505 to 554 trips daily. Average daily ridership in Q1 was at 459,400 or four percent better over the same period last year.

LRMC has claimed to have achieved a rare feat in the field of service utilities: Zero failure notice on train availability, punctuality, and reliability during the period.

LRMC sees LRT 1 passengers increasing by 75% in 2021

PASSENGER volumes at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 are expected to balloon by more than three-quarters in 2021, when the first phase of the railway system’s extension has been completed.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) President Juan F. Alfonso said his group projects ridership at Southeast Asia’s oldest overhead railway system to reach as much as 800,000 passengers per day in three years, owing to increased capacity and demand. Daily ridership has reached 459,400 passengers as of March.

“In 2021, when the first stage of the Cavite Extension is done, the number of riders is projected to increase to about 700,000 passengers per day to 800,000 passengers per day,” he said.

The first stage of the Cavite Extension involves the construction of the first five stations from Redemptorist to Dr. Santos.

These are included in the first package of right-of-way, expected to be delivered sometime this year.

Targeted for completion in about four years after the delivery of easement, the 11.7-kilometer Cavite Extension will connect into the existing system immediately south of the Baclaran station and run in a generally southerly direction to Niyog, Cavite.

It will consist of elevated guideways throughout the majority of the alignment, except for the guideway section at Zapote, which will be at grade. Eight new stations will be provided with three intermodal facilities across Pasay City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City and Cavite. The new stations are Redemptorist, MIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Dr. Santos, Las Piñas, Zapote and Niyog. The intermodal facilities shall be located at Dr. Santos, Zapote and Niyog.

The new stations will be accessible to and from nearby community facilities, such as shops, schools, stadium and park, and will be located to suit passenger-flow routes from residential areas.

Pedestrian access to all new stations will be direct, safe and easy. Details—such as lighting to distinguish access points, pedestrian-cross striping and curb cuts for handicapped access—will be provided.

The company has invested P7.5 billion in the railway system so far since it took over in 2015.

Firm operating LRT1 stresses need for Cavite extension line

The operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1), one of three elevated railways systems in Metro Manila, underscored the need to start work on a crucial extension line to Cavite province.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), backed by conglomerates Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., issued a statement Wednesday, saying the 11.7-km LRT extension to the Niog area in Bacoor City would “improve the quality of life for residents in the three cities southwest of the metropolis.”

The project has suffered delays due to the acquisition of right-of-way, a significant portion of which has yet to be delivered by the government. Metro Pacific said in its 2018 first quarter briefing that it expects to start work on the extension line in the second half of the year.

In the statement, LRMC President Juan Alfonso said travel time from Baclaran to Bacoor would be reducted to 30 minutes from the current 1.5 hours.

“You don’t have to wake up at 3  or 4 a.m. to be in Manila for work because you know the train will be there every three and a half minutes or so and that travel time is very predictable, is traffic-free,” he added.

Groundbreaking a year ago

The Department of Transportation and LRMC led a ceremonial groundbreaking event for the LRT1 Cavite extension in May last year.

The project is a public private partnership contract that LRMC won on October 2, 2014. It includes the Cavite extension and a 32-year concession period to operate the entire LRT 1, which currently serves over 400,000 passengers per day between Baclaran in Pasay City to Roosevelt in Quezon City.

Alfonso also reported that LRMC had so far invested P7.5 billion in the LRT 1 since it assumed operations in September 2015. The funds mainly went toward the “improvement of operational efficiencies and customer experience.”

LRT 1’s fleet stood at 109 cars as of March 2018 and is expected to increase to 121 cars by yearend.

The increased number of train cars has resulted in a 9.7-percent increase in average daily trips, from 505 to 554.

LRT 1 continues to await government okay to increase fares

WHILE Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) is making good on its promise to deliver quality service through better infrastructure based on key performance indices under its concession agreement, it wants the government to do its end of the bargain—a fare increase.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. CEO David J. Nicol said his group, a major investor in the railway company, hopes that the government will honor the terms of the contract, and allow the firm to increase tariff collections.

The private company operates the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1.

“Despite the great job on LRT 1, we are adrift from the concession terms there and, obviously, this further complicates things,” he told the BusinessMirror.

Nicol was lamenting how the company has transformed Southeast Asia’s first overhead railway system over the last few years, and how the government kept on deferring tariff adjustments, similar to other contracts the investments company holds.

Currently, the company has two pending fare-increase petitions before the LRT Authority (LRTA): One filed in 2016, which was due for August that year, and another filed in March 2018, one that is due for implementation this August.

“What we’re doing right now is coordinating with LRTA to go to the process, which involves publishing, public consultation and then approval if we’re allowed to increase the fares,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso said on Tuesday.

Under the concession agreement, the company is allowed to adjust fares by 10.25 percent every two years.

Since the fare increase was deferred in 2016, the company is now seeking to increase fares at an average of about P5 to P7 per ride. Currently, fares in the railway line are computed by boarding fare plus distance, which roughly translates to P12.13 plus P1.10 per kilometer (km).

Hence, with the petition, a short-distance ride—or about 1 km to 5 km—would add about P4 for a total of P19; a medium-distance ride—5 km to 16 km—would add about P5 for a total of P25; and a long-distance ride—16 km and beyond—would add about P7 for a total of P37.

“This is to catch up to where we are in 2018,” Alfonso explained. “We want to follow whatever is in the agreement with the government.”

The concession agreement provides of the company with mechanisms to fend off the government’s refusal to implement fare adjustments, such as disputes on arbitration courts, and subsidy.

“We’ve made improvements and investments, and we also need government support in terms of getting the tariff that was in the concession agreement,” Alfonso said.

The company has invested P7.5 billion in the railway system so far since it took over in 2015, and this does not include the extension of the train facility to the province of Cavite.

It has yet to receive the right-of-way from the government for it to start constructing the line’s extension all the way to Niyog, Cavite.

“Our intention is to build from Sucat going to the west. We feel that the right-of-way is at a state where we can start toward the latter part of this year,” Alfonso said.

Targeted for completion in about four years after the delivery of the right-of-way, the 11.7-kilometer Cavite extension will connect into the existing system immediately south of the Baclaran Station and run in a generally southerly direction to Niyog, Cavite.

It will consist of elevated guideways throughout the majority of the alignment, except for the guideway section in Zapote, which will be located at grade.

Eight new stations will be provided with three intermodal facilities across Pasay City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City and Cavite. The new stations are Aseana, MIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Dr. Santos, Las Piñas, Zapote and Niyog. The intermodal facilities shall be located at Dr. Santos, Zapote and Niyog.

The new stations will be accessible to and from nearby community facilities, such as shops, schools, stadium and park, and will be located to suit passenger-flow routes from residential areas.

Pedestrian access to all new stations will be direct, safe and easy. Details, such as lighting to distinguish access points, pedestrian-cross striping and curb cuts for handicapped access, will be provided.

During the first quarter of the year, the company saw marked improvements in operations versus a year prior. It now operates with 109 train cars versus only 100 in the same month in 2017. Daily ridership also grew by 4 percent to 459,400 passengers, and daily trips rose by 9.7 percent, from 505 trips to 554 trips.

It expects to cap the year with 121 operational train cars.

LRMC is a joint venture controlled by Metro Pacific and Ayala Corp.

With Sharmaine O. Paden

LRMC Cavite Extension construction starts in Oct.

The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) will start constructing its Cavite Extension this October to decongest Metro Manila traffic.

“Land travel time from Baclaran to Bacoor is currently at one and a half hours a day, during rush hour on the average. We can bring that down to only 30 minutes,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso told reporters yesterday.

The project can save passengers around three hours of travel time per day. “From Baclaran to Sucat, it will be only 15 minutes; Baclaran to Zapote, 20 minutes.”

“You don’t have to wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. to be in Manila for work because you know the train will be there every three and a half minutes or so and that travel time is very predictable, is traffic-free,” he added.

The almost 500,000 daily LRT-1 passengers travelling between Baclaran and Monumento in Caloocan City stand to benefit from the extension, as it will only take just 35 minutes to travel over the 14-kilometer stretch.

“And they pay P30.00, which is comparable to a bus fare,” he pointed out.

The Cavite Extension, totaling 11.7km in length, shall consist of elevated guideways throughout the majority of the alignment. The only at grade guideway section shall be located at Zapote, with the Satellite Depot and New Station.

It will connect to the existing Baclaran Station and will have eight new Stations: Redemptorist, NAIA Avenue, Asia World; Ninoy Aquino; Dr Santos; Las Piñas; Zapote; and Niog.

Dr. Santos, Zapote, and Niog Stations shall provide transfers to other modes transportation.

Since assuming operations and maintenance of LRT-1 in September 12, 2015, LRMC has already invested R10.5 billion towards the improvement of operational efficiencies and customer experience on LRT-1, Alfonso disclosed.

“We have significantly increased the number of trains and trips, reduced queueing time and travel time, as well as improved the safety, security and cleanliness of the stations.”

LRT-1 fleet was at 109 cars as of March 2018, which is expected to increase to 121 cars by year-end. The increased number of train cars has resulted in the 9.7 percent increase in average daily trips from 505 to 554 trips daily.

Its average daily ridership in the first quarter of this year was at 459,400, four percent better over the same period last year.

LRT-1 Cavite: From Baclaran, only 15 minutes to Sucat, 20 minutes to Zapote

With the Light Rail Transit 1’s (LRT-1) Cavite extension, commuters in the south of Metro Manila may save several hours of travel time everyday.

Juan Alfonso, president of the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) said a one-way trip from Bacoor, Cavite to Baclaran usually takes one and a half hours.

“We can bring that down to only 30 minutes,” Alfonso said. “From Baclaran to Sucat, it will be only 15 minutes; Baclaran to Zapote, 20 minutes.”

“This project can save passengers around three hours of travel time per day, which means being able to sleep longer and having more time to spend with the family,” he added.

Alfonso touted the project as the solution to decongesting traffic in Metro Manila and improve the “quality of life” of residents in southern Metro Manila.

“You don’t have to wake up at 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. to be in Manila for work because you know the train will be there every three and a half minutes or so and that travel time is very predictable, is traffic-free,” he said.

The 11-kilometer extension would connect LRT-1 Baclaran station to eight new stations: Redemptorist, NAIA Avenue, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Dr Santos, Las Pinas, Zapote, and Niog. /vvp



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Right-of-way issues for phase 1 of LRT1 Cavite extension 70-80% completed —LRMC

Construction works for the first phase of the P64-billion Light Rail Transit Line (LRT1) extension to Bacoor, Cavite, will commence later this year as right-of-way issues were substantially addressed, private sector operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) said Tuesday.

LRMC president and CEO Juan Alfonso told reporters in a press conference in Pasay City that right-of-way for the phase 1 or "package 1" — 

1. Redemptorist,
2. MIA,
3. Asiaworld,
4. Ninoy Aquino, and
5. Dr. Santos —

is around "70 to 80 percent completed."

"We feel that the right of way is complete or is at a stage where we can start... our target is toward the later part of this year to build from Dr. Santos towards Redemptorist... it's at a stage where we can start moving," Alfonso said.

The LRMC chief said the right-of-way for the phase 1 is in the process of getting certified by an independent consultant.

"Aside from the right-of-way, we have to take care of relocating the utilities... we have Meralco poles or Maynilad pipes or NGCP lines which have to be relocated," Alfonso said.

DOTr: Then and now

The new Department of Transportation (DOTr) came in at a really bad time. The country’s main airport was the world’s worst, laglagbala was a money-making scheme, flights were always delayed, motorists had no license cards, vehicles had no plates, the MRT-3 suffered countless glitches and was unreliable, dilapidated jeepneys were kings of the road, and business processes took almost forever.

To say that there was so much to be done was a great understatement. The transportation department was on the news every day for all the wrong reasons. People were getting impatient, and change seemed like a long shot.

Then, President Duterte appointed award-winning businessman, and their law school valedictorian, Arthur P. Tugade to lead the DOTr and transform the transportation system in the country.

A tough job required a tough guy like Art Tugade.

As soon as Secretary Tugade assumed office, he initiated the formulation of a 30-year roadmap that will address traffic congestion, and provide a consolidated nationwide transportation system that is efficient, intelligent, and environment-friendly. For Sec. Tugade, transportation should be treated as an equalizer of life, much like death and taxes. The jeepney or the bus should neither be associated with the poor nor private cars with the rich. Commuters wearing slippers and commuters wearing a suit should be able to take the same train or the same bus.

In just two years, the DOTr is changing the headlines. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) went from being the “worst” to one of the “most improved” airports in the world. The nightmare of laglagbala can now be put behind us. These are two of the biggest issues that the past administration hurdled, and which the new administration solved by shifting policies, strictly implementing existing rules, and sheer political will.

Before the Duterte administration took over, the On-Time Performance (OTP) of Philippine airports was at 48%. As of 2017, the OTP has been improved to 71%, which means delayed flights have been significantly reduced. Facilities for passenger convenience such as toilets and additional seats have been addressed. Fast and reliable wi-fi is offered for free.

Congestion at the NAIA is also continuously being addressed with stricter policies and additional infrastructure. Commercial flights were prioritized over general aviation, and pilots who declare they are ready to take-off must do so in 5 minutes or risk being put back at the end of the queue.

To decongest NAIA, airlines were also encouraged to launch more flights from the Clark International Airport. Before Sec. Tugade came in, there were only seven flights at Clark per week, passengers recorded were at a measly 800,000 annually, and the airport was highly under-maximized. Today, over 200 flights take off from CRK every week, and by the end of 2017, an all-time high 1.5 million passengers passed through CRK.

Making commercial airports capable of night-time operations is also a priority of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). From only 15 night-rated airports by mid-2016, the number is now at 20. And, this year, four more are being night-rated, which means domestic flights do not have to be crammed during day time as well as more schedule options for passengers.

In January, 2018, the satellite-based Communication, Navigation, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management system was inaugurated. This project that comes with an ATM building and 10 additional radars to augment the existing three radars is necessary to make the airspace safer. The project was initiated in 2009 but did not go very far. DOTr-CAAP completed the project in a year and a half.

Airports all over the country are being improved and developed. For the first half of 2018, four airports have been given a facelift with improved passenger terminal buildings and wider runways —- Lal-lo International Airport and Tuguegarao Airport in the North, Tacloban Airport in the Visayas, and San Vicente Airport in Palawan.

The MRT-3 was one of the biggest challenges that the DOTr took on: Several trains were beyond repair, unloading incidents were a daily occurrence, facilities were in a bad condition, lines were incredibly long, and the half a million daily passengers were getting even more impatient with the sacrifices they had to make just to get to work every day. The ills of the MRT-3, which had accumulated for decades, remain one of the most difficult challenges that the DOTr is beset with. Since the Busan Universal, Rail,  Inc. was terminated as a maintenance provider in November, 2017, the DOTr put together a maintenance transition team that has successfully fielded 15-18 running training sets, reduced unloading incidents remarkably, and repaired facilities such as elevators and escalators. In fact, just recently, MRT-3 set its longest “no unloading incident streak” in seven years. Through an agreement with the Japanese government, an experienced and highly-qualified maintenance provider will come in by June, and is tasked to bring the MRT-3 back to its original condition, while also increasing the number of trains and enhancing the system’s over-all reliability.

On the road, motorists held on to receipts because the previous Land Transportation Office (LTO) has failed to issue license cards. In less than six months, the Duterte administration began printing and releasing cards, this time with five years validity, and with an increased number of security features. The three million backlog was completely addressed by early 2017. Online appointments for license applications is also now available in some areas.

If motorists did not have licenses, vehicles didn’t have plates. The Supreme Court’s June, 2016, order to stop distribution was a major setback. The decision was lifted in January,  2018, and now, the DOTr is just waiting for the lifting of the disallowance set by the Commission on Audit (COA). It also inaugurated a plate making plant, which houses plate making equipment, so that the government may now manufacture plates on its own, ensuring a faster and more efficient production.

Before, motorists using the expressways had to queue and pay at every exit. But today, toll operators of every single toll system in the country have agreed to unify collection and make their systems interoperable to facilitate seamless and faster travel.

At sea, ports all over the country are in need of rehabilitation and improvement. The DOTr, together with the Philippine Ports Authority, aggressively modernized one port at a time to increase their operational efficiency. For 2018, over 100 port projects are being completed.

The Philippine Coast Guard is now better equipped than ever, making them more capable of protecting our coasts, marine environment, and our people. Lighthouses have also increased their operational efficiency. From only 113 operational lighthouses in 2014, DOTr was able to increase the number to 552 in 2017.

Across the board, business processes are being simplified and streamlined. In Marina, for example, it used to take 15 days before a seafarer could be issued a seafarer’s book, but today, the process would only take one day.

These improvements prove that with hard work and political will, great things can happen.

These reforms come with the biggest and boldest infrastructure plan for the Philippines. The Build, Build, Build program is geared towards being Duterte’s enduring legacy, as it aims to provide comfortable life for all.

The PNR line from Manila to Clark via Malolos and the LRT-1 Cavite Extension will start construction by mid-2018, while the country’s first subway system will break ground by the fourth quarter. The PNR line to Bicol will be revived, and the first rail system outside Luzon will be built in Mindanao.

By August, 2018, the new Bohol International Airport in Panglao and the new world-class terminal in Mactan, Cebu, will begin commercial operations. In Bicol, a new airport in Albay is being constructed.

Intermodal terminals are being built in Paranaque and Taguig, and soon in Bulacan, for passengers entering Metro Manila from the south and the north.

The country now has its first barge terminal located in Tanza, Cavite, so that cargoes are ferried via barges at sea, and not on roads. This will reduce the number of trucks plying the roads by 140,000 truck trips.

Under Tugade’s leadership, those who owe government, give the government its due. Case in point are PAL’s P6-billion debt and the non-remittance of CAAP of its dividends. For two years, GOCCs under the DOTr such as CAAP, PPA, and the MIAA have been remitting record-breaking dividends amounting to billions to the National Treasury.

For 2017, the DOTr delivered on its commitment to spend at least 80% of its budget in infrastructure projects, higher than the target spending set by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). This simply means that the people’s money is returned to the public in the form of projects and initiatives.

In July, 2017, Secretary Tugade did something that many thought was un-doable. He transferred the central office of the DOTr from Ortigas to Clark in Pampanga. For so long, the government has been saying we need to decongest Metro Manila, but only Tugade had the will to start doing so from his own home.

Finally, the DOTr is cracking down on all corrupt officials and employees in the department, as well as its attached agencies. Apart from dismissals within DOTr, officials and personnel from the LTO, LTFRB, CAAP, and MARINA were recently sacked for corruption charges.

The DOTr takes the issue of transparency very seriously. Bidding processes within the DOTr are now being streamed online, and it is among the top-performing agencies in implementing Freedom of Information.DOTr’s social media accounts likewise ranked as one of the top government social media accounts in terms of reach and engagement.

Secretary Art brings with him the values of hard work and incorruptibility. He is a brilliant manager and a selfless public servant.

Watch as this boy from the slums transform the state of transportation in the Philippines.

DoTr opens bidding for Malolos-Tutuban rail line

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it has opened the bidding for the construction contract for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.

The DoTr is bidding out the civil works and building components of the project. It has two contract packages: the first covers elevated structures, seven stations and a depot; the second includes elevated structures and three stations.

Eligible bidders must have a Japanese prime contractor, with no nationality restrictions on sub-contractors

The DoTr started the phase 1 of the project in January. This involves the clearing of roads that will be affected by the construction of NSCR.

http://bworldonline.com/dotr-opens-bidding-for-malolos-tutuban-rail-line/

Finally, a rehab plan for MRT3

In any solution to Metro Manila’s traffic problem, a major part would be the rehabilitation of Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3) which runs from Quezon City in the north along Epifanio de los Santos Ave. (EDSA) to Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Pasay in the south. It complements the Light Rail Transit (LRT) which runs from Quezon City west to Caloocan, then south via Rizal Ave. to Manila and via Taft Ave. to Pasay.

Metro traffic gained international notoriety during the Aquino III administration years when increased vehicle sales combined with heightened cargo deliveries from the piers and repeated breakdowns in MRT operations. Sen. Grace Poe highlighted a Senate inquiry with her lining up with thousands of rush-hour commuters in queues that ran for blocks around MRT stations in Quezon City. The inquiry, among others, brought out the fact that the new administration officials had somehow managed in 2012 to replace the reliable Sumitomo maintenance firm with a new company of their own with, however, little expertise in light rail operations.

At the start of the Duterte administration in 2016, rehabilitation of MRT 3 began in earnest. As emergency measures were taken to increase the number of running trains, the new Department of Transportation worked with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on an overall MRT3 Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project.

After long discussions and appraisal of the problem, the two sides agreed last Friday on a 43-month rehabilitation program designed to restore MRT3 to its original condition and capacity at a cost of 34.48 billion yen (P16.98 billion) covering the trains, overhead power lines, tracks, radio, public address, and signaling systems, stations, and equipment depots. Signing of the agreement is set for next month.

There was a time when MRT3 was down to running only seven trains and there was at least one breakdown a day, stranding hundreds of passengers in between stations. In the last few months, MRT3 has been able to increase the number of trains to 15, carrying 405,000 passengers a day.

A new maintenance provider nominated by JICA is expected to start working this month and it is hoped the number of running trains will reach 20, capable of carrying 540,000 passengers a day.

At the end of the 43-month rehabilitation that was agreed upon last week, MRT3 should be back to its original designed capacity of 600,000 riders a day. That would take a huge load off Metro Manila’s jammed roads and highways.

NO FREE LUNCH: Planning for Mega Manila

Once upon a time (around 1920-1930, to be more specific), Manila could be described as a well-designed, mass-transit-based urban area. It had an extensive tranvia or streetcar network, similar to that in San Francisco in California, running on an estimated 85 kilometers of tracks. The tranvia met 40 percent of the total estimated demand for mobility in the city, even as there was a diversity of urban transport modes ranging from bicycles to horse-drawn calesas and the newly mass-produced model T Fords from America. There was strategic integrated development, where the establishment of a suburban transport line was well-coordinated with housing development and the provision of electric power supply. Traffic management was good, and Manila had all the features of a well-planned urban area.

That was the historical backdrop to the “Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and Surrounding Areas” done jointly in 2014 by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). That was a time when the city had a population of 300,000. Now, nearly a century later, Metro Manila is home to more than 50 times as many people, and using “good traffic management” and “well-planned urban area” to describe the metropolis would be a bad joke. There’s so much that needs to be changed, and so much to be undone if it is to move toward earning those descriptions again.

As tracked by the Neda-Jica study, a big part of the problem arose within the 30-year period from 1980 to 2010. In that period, the Metro Manila population doubled from 5.9 to 11.8 million. But the number of motor vehicles rose 4.3 times, from less than half a million to nearly 2 million. The number of buses nearly quadrupled, from 3,600 to 14,200 units. And yet, road length only increased 1.5 times, from 675 to 1,032 km. We all know the glaring result, and city dwellers suffer it daily. Meanwhile, public rail transit spanned 50 km in 2010, against 20 in 1980—an increase of 2.5 times, but still much less than the 85 km (of tranvia) we had in the 1920s.

While the study was focused on transport infrastructure, it noted other challenges attendant to the growth of the metropolis. Housing, for one, is too often forgotten in all the talk about infrastructure and the “Build, build, build” program of the government. There was an estimated backlog of 500,000 housing units, and need to resettle 560,000 households living in hazard areas beside waterways (probably underestimates by now). And yet our public expenditure on housing as percent of gross domestic product or GDP pales in comparison to that of our neighbors, and even less than in poorer countries like Bangladesh.

The capital region grew from just the city of Manila in the early 20th century to Metro Manila by the 1970s, and now we see the rise of “Mega Manila” that includes much of Region III (Central Luzon) on the north and Region IV-A (Calabarzon) on the south. The

Neda-Jica study notes that “Metro Manila’s problems can no longer be solved within Metro Manila,” and that Regions III and IV-A must “maximize positive impacts of Metro Manila while contributing to mitigate Metro Manila’s problems.” This entails a departure from monocentric planning with the national capital at the core of development, to a “polycentric” one that sees the cities of Angeles (Clark), Olongapo (Subic), Malolos, San Fernando, Calamba, Lipa, Batangas, San Pablo and Lucena as growth poles as well.

What all this requires is closer integration of the three regions, and this starts with integrative physical planning. Key transport links are the NLEx-SLEx connector road, the North-South Commuter Railway from Clark to Los Banos, and the subway that will ultimately span City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to City of Dasmariñas in Cavite. Urban expressways, smart traffic management systems and more also form part of the “Dream Plan” for Mega Manila that would lead to a truly integrated, multimodal urban mass transit network. Will we see all this happen within our lifetimes? Perhaps we could, if the government can make good on its promise of a “Golden Age of Infrastructure.”

cielito.habito@gmail.com

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Japan firms to fix MRT3 starting next month

The busy Metro Rail Transit Line 3, which had grabbed headlines for constant breakdowns in recent years, could be restored to its original condition in two and a half years, the Department of Transportation said on Tuesday.

The DOTr, for the first time, released details of a plan to tap Japanese companies to rehabilitate and maintain the almost two decades-old MRT3, which runs along the crucial Edsa in Metro Manila.

The DOTr said it hosted last week officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) during a so-called appraisal mission. The event covered technical matters on the size, scope and project cost of the MRT-3 rehabilitation project.

Based on those discussions, the DOTr said the project would cost an estimated 34.48 billion yen or close to P17 billion.

The rehabilitation and maintenance will take some 43 months. It said 31 months were allocated “for the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore MRT3 to its original design condition and capacity.” The remaining 12 months would be for a so-called defect liability period.

The DOTr said the new maintenance and rehabilitation provider would begin work starting this June. The loan signing is also targeted for next month.

While it did not name the provider, the DOTr in previous statements said they were considering the tandem of Sumitomo Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Mitsubishi-Sumitomo handled maintenance operations for the MRT3’s first 12 years of operations.

The project scope will include the MRT3’s power supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, CCTV system, public address system, signaling system, rail tracks, road rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators and other station building equipment, the DOTr noted.

The DOTr may eventually allow the private sector to assume operations of the MRT3. Metro Pacific Investments Corp. last year bagged original proponent status for its P12.5-billion offer to rehabilitate, operate and maintain the MRT3 for a period of 30 years.

Once approved by the National Economic and Development Authority, Metro Pacific’s offer will be subjected to a competitive challenge.

The DOTr is finalizing the results of an audit to determine whether it could use 48 train coaches supplied by Chinese company CRRC Dalian. It earlier tapped Germany’s TUV Rheinland as independent consultant for the audit.

John Batan, DOTr undersecretary for railways, said previously that the TUV Rheinland results would “guide” the DOTr in the scope of works to be undertaken by the Japanese providers.

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Government, Japanese agency agree to expand MRT 3

The Transportation Department and Japan International Cooperation Agency agreed to undertake the P16.98-billion rehabilitation and expansion of Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

The two parties signed Friday the minutes of discussion for the appraisal mission over the Japan-financed MRT-3 Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project.

It contained the final details on project cost, scope of works and schedule of implementation.

Under the agreement, Jica will finance the rehabilitation and maintenance project of MRT-3, covering the system’s trains, power supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, CCTV system, PABX public address system, signaling system, rail tracks, road rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators, and other station building equipment.

Discussions between Jica and the Transportation Department showed that the rehabilitation and maintenance of MRT 3 would take 43 months.

This would include 31 months for the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore MRT-3 to its original design condition and capacity and 12 months for the defect liability period.

The two parties also agreed to commit to best environmental management practices and social considerations through the procurement of a supervision consultant who would facilitate the implementation of an environmental management plan and an environmental monitoring plan.

The supervision consultant, to ensure the project’s sustainability, is required to draft and institutionalize new MRT-3 manuals that will update methodologies on appropriate asset management, project monitoring and supervision and operations and maintenance activities.

After completing the appraisal mission, the transport agency and Japan would move on to signing of the loan agreement and the mobilization of the new maintenance and rehabilitation provider for MRT-3 in June 2018.

MRT 3, which runs along Edsa from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, serves over 500,000 passengers a day, beyond its rated capacity of 350,000.

The line has a fleet of 73 Czech-made air-conditioned rail cars.

DOTr and JICA mobilizing new MRT-3 maintenance provider

The Philippine government, together with Japan, are working together to speed up the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3).

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) last Friday (May 11, 2018) signed the Minutes of Discussion for the Appraisal Mission for the Japan-financed MRT-3 Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project, where details on estimate project cost, scope of works, and schedule have been finalized.

The Appraisal Mission was conducted over the course of last week through thorough technical discussions between officials of JICA and DOTr.  Based on the discussions, the Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project of MRT-3 will take 43 months: 31 months for the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore MRT-3 to its original design condition and capacity, and 12 months for the defect liability period.

The scope of works of the Project, with cost estimated at ¥34.480 billion (R16.985 billion), will cover the MRT-3’s trains, power supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, CCTV system, PABX public address system, signaling system, rail tracks, road rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators, and other station building equipment.

DOTr and JICA have also agreed to commit to best environmental management practices and social considerations through the procurement of a Supervision Consultant who will facilitate the implementation of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and an Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMoP).

To ensure the project’s sustainability, the Supervision Consultant shall also draft and institutionalize new MRT-3 manuals that will update methodologies on appropriate asset management, project monitoring and supervision, and operations and maintenance activities.

After completing the Appraisal Mission, DOTr and Japan will now move on to signing of the loan agreement and the mobilization of the new maintenance and rehabilitation provider for MRT-3, which is targeted this June, 2018.

Selection of new MRT3 maintenance provider moved to June

It will take 31 months and P16.985 billion to restore the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, based on talks between the Department of Transportation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency

The government changed its target month for the selection of a new maintenance and rehabilitation provider for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) from May to June, as signing a loan deal with the Japanese government is taking more time than initially expected.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday, May 15, said in a statement that an appraisal mission was conducted last week through technical discussions with officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

"After completing the appraisal mission, DOTr and Japan will now move on to signing of the loan agreement and the mobilization of the new maintenance and rehabilitation provider for MRT3, which is targeted this June 2018," said the DOTr.

Transportation officials have yet to explain why the target for choosing a new MRT3 maintenance provider was moved by one month.

Back in December 2017, the DOTr had said it expects a new MRT3 maintenance provider by May, as it is already finalizing the terms of its loan agreement with JICA.

Timeline, cost

Based on the minutes of discussion, the DOTr said it will take 31 months and P16.985 billion to restore the MRT3. Another 12 months has been set to address any problems or glitches that could arise – called a defect liability period. (READ: MRT3 delivers on its promise of more trains)

"31 months for the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore MRT3 to its original design condition and capacity, and 12 months for the defect liability period," the transportation department said.

It added that the project cost of ¥34.480 billion (P16.985 billion) will cover the MRT3's trains, power supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, CCTV system, PABX public address system, signaling system, rail tracks, road rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators, as well as other station building equipment.

Aside from funding, the DOTr had said it will utilize the bidding process of Japan in getting a new MRT3 maintenance provider.

"Required in all official development assistance (ODA) arrangements with them," Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said last December.

Batan had said procurement rules and regulations will be observed in choosing the new MRT3 maintenance provider, noting that it will be Japanese like other projects of the DOTr with Japan.

Batan was sought for comment on the timeline of the bidding for the new MRT3 maintenance and rehabilitation provider, but he has not yet replied as of posting.

The MRT3 has been encountering numerous malfunctions in recent years due to substandard maintenance and underinvestment in system renewal requirements. 

PHL, JICA finalize terms for MRT3 rehab

Philippine and Japanese official finalized last week the details of the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) to be financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) estimated that rehabilitating the mass rail system will cost an ¥34.480 billion or P16.985 billion.
“It will be largely funded by Japan but some admin fees or taxes are to be shouldered by PH,” MRT3 media relations officer Aly Narvaez said in a separate Viber message.

The project appraisal was conducted in technical discussions between the DOTr and JICA last week.

The rehabilitation will cover the trains, the power supply system, the radio system, the CCTV system, public address system, and the signaling system.

It will also cover the rail tracks, road rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators, and other station building equipment.

The overall rehabilitation of the rail system is estimated to take 43 months—31 months for simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works, and 12 months for the defect liability period.

Separately, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the formal pledge by Japan is scheduled next month.

“June: Pledge by the Government of Japan, Exchange of Notes, and Loan Agreement signing,” he said in a Viber message to reporters on Tuesday.


Originally, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said earlier this year that May was the target for the Japanese to take over the maintenance and rehabilitation of MRT3.

The Philippines and Japan exchanged notes on a government-to-government agreement for Sumitomo Corp. and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to take over the maintenance and rehabilitation of the mass rail transit system.

Sumitomo and Mitsubishi were the original MRT3 maintenance providers from 2003 to 2012. Sumitomo also designed and built the system from 1998 to 2000.

“Yes, some findings from the due diligence system audit kasi needed further validation. Also, it was also timely na nacover ng system audit ang annual maintenance works ng MRT3 so the opportunity was maximized na rin,”  Narvaez noted.

“Around March kasi the system audit was complete na, but then there was the annual maintenance,” she said.

The DOTr said the project will also include tapping a Supervision Consultant who will facilitate the implementation of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and an Environment Monitoring Plan. —VDS, GMA News

DOTr reveals details on Japan-backed MRT rehab

The Department of Transportation on Tuesday bared the final details on the three-year makeover of the overcrowded Metro Rail Transit, which will be financed by Japan.

Reports of MRT train breakdowns have become as regular as the weather. In 2017, the shabby metro rail system, which serves thousands of passengers each day, reportedly suffered at least 500 disruptions.

In a statement, the DOTr said the government and Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, signed last Friday the final details on the estimated project cost, scope of works and schedule of the MRT rehabilitation.

Based on the discussions, upgrading the MRT will take 43 months: 31 months for the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore MRT to its original design condition and capacity; and 12 months for the defect liability period.

The project, which is estimated to cost ¥34.480 billion (P16.985 billion), will cover the repair of trains, power supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, CCTV system, signaling system, rail tracks, elevators and escalators and other station building equipment.

“After completing the Appraisal Mission, DOTr and Japan will now move on to signing of the loan agreement and the mobilization of the new maintenance and rehabilitation provider for MRT, which is targeted this June 2018,” the Transportation department said.

Last year, the government terminated its contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc., the MRT-3 service provider, due to alleged poor performance.

To ensure the project’s sustainability, a supervision consultant will be hired to facilitate and monitor the implementation of the MRT rehabilitation.

DOTr, Jica set P16.98-billion price tag for MRT 3 rehab, upkeep

JAPAN has finalized the cost, scope and schedule of the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3, setting a P16.98-billion price tag for the said project.

According to a media advisory, the minutes of discussion for the appraisal mission for the deal was attended by representatives of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) last Friday.

The appraisal initiative has set the cost of the project to P16.98 billion, and will cover the railway line’s trains, power-supply system, overhead catenary system, radio system, closed-circuit television  system, public address system, signaling system, rail tracks, road-rail vehicles, depot equipment, elevators and escalators, and other station building equipment.

Tentatively, the whole deal will take about three and a half years, 31 months for the simultaneous rehabilitation and maintenance works to restore train system to its original design condition and capacity, and a year for the defect liability period.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John R. Batan said that the appraisal mission forms part of process for official development assistance (ODA) deals with Japan.

Talks for the said assistance started last year. January saw the exchange of note verbale between the two governments.

A month after Jica representatives started the on-site inspection of the MRT 3’s condition and noted the works needed to rehabilitate the system.

From March to April, Japanese engineers stated preparing the system’s inspection report, which includes both the scope of works and cost estimates.

It was finalized last Friday, when the appraisal mission was concluded.

By June, Batan said, the Philippines expect to finalize the following: “pledge by the government of Japan, exchange of notes and the loan agreement signing.”

Likewise, the two government agreed to commit to best environmental management practices and social considerations through the procurement of a supervision consultant who will facilitate the implementation of an Environmental Management Plan  and an Environmental Monitoring Plan.

To ensure the project’s sustainability, the supervision consultant shall also draft and institutionalize new MRT 3 manuals, which will update methodologies on appropriate asset management, project monitoring and supervision, and operations and maintenance activities.

The Japan ODA-financed rehabilitation and maintenance project is intended to “fix everything that needs to be fixed” in the MRT 3 through a well-qualified, experienced and single-point-of-responsibility rehabilitation and maintenance service provider, Batan stated.

The government is currently directly engaging Sumitomo Corp. and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the upkeep of the MRT 3.

The two companies designed, built and maintained the MRT 3 in its first 12 years of operations.

Sumitomo’s maintenance contract was terminated in 2012, after the previous Aquino administration decided to take over the said component despite contrary provisions in the build-lease-transfer contract with MRT Corp.

The new rehabilitation and maintenance service provider will be mobilized after securing the loan agreement from Japan.

The Jica-financed initiative is part of the government’s program to rehabilitate, expand  and modernize the train system.

Another option being considered is the acceptance of the unsolicited proposal of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. for the rehab and modernization of the railway line.

Metro Pacific submitted in 2017 an unsolicited proposal that involves the expansion of the capacity of the railway system by adding more coaches to each train, allowing it to carry more cars at faster intervals. It will double the capacity of the line to 700,000 passengers a day from the current 350,000 passengers daily.

The multimillion-dollar expansion is deemed as an all-encompassing deal, including the improvement of the reliability of rolling stock, the upgrading of power supply, the upgrading of stations and the replacement of rails, which will allow the company to operate the new trains purchased by the government from Chinese train manufacturer Dalian.

Unsolicited proposals are required, under the law, to be subjected to a Swiss challenge, wherein other groups can offer a similar proposal, and the original proponent can present a counter offer.

The government awarded the original-proponent status to Metro Pacific last year.

Metro Pacific has nominated Light Rail Manila Corp. as its corporate vehicle for the MRT 3 deal. The said company, a partnership between Metro Pacific and Ayala Corp., operates the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1.

Its proposal for the MRT mimicked the same provisions under its concession agreement for the LRT 1 operations and modernization deal, which it bagged in 2014 via the Public-Private Partnership Program.

It means that, instead of having a different operator and maintenance provider, the group will be the one to do both, something that Robert John Sobrepeña has been pushing for since the government forcibly took over the upkeep of the facility in 2012.

Currently, the MRT 3 operates with 16 working trains daily, serving roughly 350,000 passengers per day.

Dalian train, MRT 3 ‘compatibility’ report to be released in May, at last

The transportation department may determine whether the 48 trains from Dalian, China—costing a whopping P3.8 billion—are “compatible” with the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 within the month, after an independent auditor finishes its evaluation of the light- rail vehicles that have been left idle and unutilized for more than a year now.

Aly V. Narvaez, a spokesman for the railway system’s operator, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) hopes to receive the report from TUV Rheinland toward the end of May.

“We expect to receive the audit report in the next few weeks, perhaps within this month,” she said in a text message. “Once submitted, the complete and final audit report from TUV Rheinland will still be read and reviewed by DOTr.”

The government tapped TUV Rheinland to conduct a thorough review of the trains that were procured from Dalian, as issues ranging from weight to safety arose before, during, and after their complete delivery in February last year.

To recall, the Aquino III administration jump-started the acquisition of 48 new train cars for the Edsa MRT 3 line. It faced several years of delay due to a legal tussle with the owner of the train facility, MRT Corp.’s parent company, MRT Holdings Inc.

Despite having received the first set of trains in early-2016, the deployment of the new coaches was deferred because all 48 light-rail vehicles had to be “optimized and tested.”

Onboard signaling was amiss from the train, and was only procured midway through the construction of the 48 train units.

The onboard signaling system was only installed in the trains in November 2016. The initial batch of trains should have been deployed in March of the same year, based on original targets.

Due to these obstacles, the transportation department wanted to deploy the 48 trains in March 2017, but failed to do so after groups raised issues on the train’s weight.

“We’ll release the results accordingly, including TUV’s recommendations on the Dalian trains,” Narvaez said.

The whole expansion project, amounting to P3.8 billion, will increase the capacity of the line to 880,000 daily passengers, or 66 percent more than the current capacity of 350,000 commuters per day.

Currently, the train line is working at about two-thirds of its capacity. There are about 15 train sets running during revenue hours, serving roughly 350,000 passengers daily.

MPT South to construct Cavite portion of Calax when it gets ROW

METRO Pacific Tollways South Corp. (MPT South) may start constructing the Cavite portion of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) as soon as it receives a “substantial” portion of right-of-way (ROW), a company official said.

Luigi L. Bautista, the company’s president, said his group hopes to receive about 40 percent of the Cavite easement before it can start the construction of the expressway.

“We have yet to receive substantial right-of-way to allow us to start. We hope to get about 10 kilometers [km] to 11 kilometers of the 28 kilometers to start,” he said in an interview.

The company tapped Leighton Asia to build the Cavite side of the expressway, which involves the construction of a 28-km, four-lane expressway.

Construction of the segment was initially seen to start this quarter.

For the Laguna side, the company has started building the seven bridges and the embankment walls for the main carriage way.

DM Consunji Inc. was tapped for the 18-km segment.

The P34.5-billion facility will start from Cavite Expressway in Kawit, Cavite, and end at the South Luzon Expressway-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

The project will involve building a four-lane expressway from these two points through congested residential and industrial areas in Kawit, Imus, General Trias, Dasmariñas and Silang in Cavite, through to cities of Santa Rosa and Biñan in Laguna.

The project will have eight interchanges and one main toll barrier.

Construction is expected to be completed by 2020, while operations and maintenance would be from 2020 to 2050.

Six years hence, P54-billion MRT 3 buyout plan still in limbo

RECTIFYING what was deemed as a “messy” contract with a private rail company has been on the government’s drawing board for over six years now. Up to this day, however, the multibillion-peso initiative remains in limbo.

The P54-billion buyout plan for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3—commonly seen as the most problematic of all three overhead railway systems in the Philippines—has yet to move an inch from the 2012 plan.

It has been a six-year roller-coaster ride for the program, as government agencies and branches could not align themselves on the manner of executing the plan, or just simply how to move forward with it.

Today, with the new administration on board, the plan is still in limbo, being discussed on different levels due to the complexity of the issue, which is marred by legal tussles and economic implications.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John R. Batan said the agency and the Department of Finance (DOF) are now reviewing the viability of the plan.

Restart of discussions

“Discussions are ongoing among the DOF, DOTr and other concerned government agencies on this subject,” Batan told the BusinessMirror. “The government is reviewing the best approach that will best serve the public’s interest.”

Under the buyout plan, the government aims to acquire MRT Corp., the owner of the train line, controlled by businessman Robert John L. Sobrepeña, through a holding company.

This will free the government up from the equity rentals that the State pays to operate the railway system.

To recall, the government entered into a build-lease-transfer agreement with MRT Corp. two decades ago for the construction of the train facility along Edsa to cater to the growing public transportation needs in Metro Manila.

Through the said contract, the private company was to own the said facility for 25 years, while the government is required to rent and operate the train system throughout the concession period.

Equity rental payments amount to P610 million per month, or about P7.3 billion annually. Revenues of the train system, however, are solely for the government.

Aside from freeing the government from paying billions of pesos to the private company, the State’s intention in acquiring the train line intends to put an end to the hellish rides commuters face on a daily basis.

Acquisition steps

The takeover is enshrined in Executive Order 126 issued by President Aquino in February 2013. The order mandates the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Department of Finance to execute an equity-value buyout of the private company that owns the MRT 3.

The takeover was seen as key to the modernization of the railway system that ferries more than 540,000 passengers daily.

Before the government can actually buy out the private partner, several steps must be taken to ensure the takeover will be smooth and consistent with global best practices and international law.

To take over the line, the government must purchase all the shares and bonds of the railway company. Another requirement for the buyout is for the government and the private partner to strike a compromise, end the ongoing arbitration case in Singapore lodged in 2008 due to the State’s failure as line operator to pay billions in equity rental to the owner of the rail system.

But six years into the issuance of the President’s order, the transportation and finance departments have not moved an inch in completing the buyout. The plan encountered roadblocks, including the rejection of the takeover budget by lawmakers during the 16th Congress.

Hindrances

“We have discussed the possibility, but we have yet to receive specific instructions. It has a lot of problems, the buyout. So we’re looking at our options,” Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said in a chance interview.

Batan agreed, saying that the government will work toward giving an appropriate solution to the mess in the MRT 3.

“Our position will be one with all other concerned government agencies, and we are working with those agencies toward a solution that will best serve the public’s interest,” he said.

Part of the options that the government is reviewing is acceptance of the unsolicited proposal of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. for the rehab and modernization of the railway line.

Metro Pacific submitted in 2017 an unsolicited proposal that involves the expansion of the capacity of the railway system by adding more coaches to each train, allowing it to carry more cars at faster intervals. It will double the capacity of the line to 700,000 passengers a day from the current 350,000 passengers daily.

The multimillion-dollar expansion is deemed as an all-encompassing deal, including the improvement of the reliability of rolling stock, the upgrading of power supply, the upgrading of stations and the replacement of rails, which will allow the company to operate the new trains purchased by the government from Chinese train manufacturer Dalian.

Swiss Challenge option

Unsolicited proposals are required, under the law, to be subjected to a Swiss Challenge, wherein other groups can offer a similar proposal, and the original proponent can present a counter offer.

The government awarded the original-proponent status to Metro Pacific last year.

Metro Pacific has nominated Light Rail Manila Corp. as its corporate vehicle for the MRT 3 deal. The said company, a partnership between Metro Pacific and Ayala Corp., operates the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1.

Its proposal for the MRT mimicked the same provisions under its concession agreement for the LRT 1 operations and modernization deal, which it bagged in 2014 via the Public-Private Partnership Program.

It means that, instead of having a different operator and maintenance provider, the group will be the one to do both, something that Sobrepeña has been pushing for since the government forcibly took over the upkeep of the facility in 2012.

“We have performed extensive due diligence on the line.  However, there is a parallel process running with government and help from Japan for the same thing. At this stage it’s hard to say whether or when terms will be agreed,” Metro Pacific Chief Financial Officer David J. Nicol said.

He was referring to the negotiated deal with the Japanese government.

From its initial talks with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Philippine government is seeking to be granted an official development assistance (ODA) financing package for the overhaul and maintenance of the MRT 3.

The Japan ODA-financed rehabilitation and maintenance project is intended to “fix everything that needs to be fixed” in the MRT 3 through a well-qualified, experienced and single-point-of-responsibility rehabilitation and maintenance service provider, Batan explained.

The government is currently directly engaging Sumitomo Corp. and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the upkeep of the MRT 3.

The two companies designed, built and maintained the MRT 3 in its first 12 years of operations.

Sumitomo’s maintenance contract was terminated in 2012, after the previous government decided to take over the said component despite contrary provisions in the build-lease-transfer contract with MRTC.

The new rehabilitation and maintenance service provider will be mobilized after securing the loan agreement from Japan.

But for Nicol, what the government intends to do is still vague.

“A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, right? But the extent of either remains unclear. My sense is government is keen on the idea of the support from Japan but their dilemma is how long this might take to arrange. I think we could work well as an operator partner to, say, Sumitomo, or do it well ourselves as we have shown on LRT 1—but as I say there is no clarity on contract,” he said.

Currently, the MRT 3 operates with 16 working trains daily, serving roughly 350,000 passengers per day.