Are 48 trains usable? DOTr chief says audit complete but…

After remaining silent for over a month on the status of the independent audit conducted on 48 Dalian trains bought from China to augment the existing Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 fleet, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) finally confirmed that the review had been completed.

Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade, however, refused to say whether the brand-new trains were found to be usable by TUV Rheinland, which also looked at the entire MRT 3 system.

All Tugade said on Wednesday was that the Dalian trains were noncompliant with the terms of reference (TOR) for their purchase, but whether this was “substantive and prejudicial to the safety and comfort of passengers” has yet to be determined.

The DOTr also refused to say which points in the TOR were not complied with, saying only that the audit findings would be disclosed once discussions with parties concerned were finalized.

Tugade’s disclosure came amid mounting pressure on the DOTr to release the audit findings following the indictment of former Transport Secretary Joseph Abaya for graft over the supposedly unusable Dalian trains and the recurring breakdowns plaguing MRT 3.

On Tuesday, another glitch—an electrical motor failure—forced a southbound train to unload around 850 passengers at the Guadalupe station due to electrical motor failure.
The incident brought the number of glitches suffered by Metro Manila’s busiest train line to over 50 since the start of the year.

The Dalian trains, bought under the Aquino administration, have yet to be added to the fleet of operational MRT 3 trains because of alleged safety issues and track incompatibility.

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Transport chief: MRT may get 12 more trains this year after repairs

Twelve trains from a Chinese company may be operational for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 this year once public safety and security is assured, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said Thursday.

He said the system evaluation that began in January revealed the trains may have to undergo some repairs and need spare parts.

"I cannot specifically and quantitatively speak numbers and quantity, one word, manageable," Tugade said. "Basta ho magtulong-tulong lahat pwede pakinabangan at gusto natin magtulong-tulong laht upang the platform of compliance will be on a win-win."

[Translation: As long as we all cooperate, they can be utlized and we want everyone to help so the platform of compliance will be on a win-win.]

Tugade said Chinese company CRRC Dalian agreed to fully shoulder the repair costs and expenses to purchase the spare parts.

The Dalian trains are part of a ₱3.8-billion contract signed in 2014 between the Chinese firm and the Aquino administration. The trains arrived in 2015, but these were not used because of concerns with weight and compatibility with the MRT-3 maintenance facilities and signaling system.

The repair of the Dalian trains will coincide with the system repair of MRT trains beginning this month. This is expected to last for about three years.

It will also coincide with the entry of Japanese firm Sumitomo Corp. as service provider.

The firm, with its technical partner Mitsubishi Industries, designed and built the MRT-3, and maintained it from 2000 until 2012, when the contract with the companies ended.

MRT-3 stretches nearly 17 kilometers from North Ave. in Quezon City to Taft Ave. in Pasay City on EDSA.

CNN Philippines' Triciah Terada contributed to this report.