The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will extend its contract with Sumitomo Corp., the current maintenance provider for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), as the government prepares to privatize the railway system’s operations and maintenance (O&M), an official said Wednesday.
“There will be an extension, we will give the details once it’s done. It will be extended, that’s for sure. I will just give you the details later on,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said.
The DOTr, Sumitomo and Oriental Consultants Global signed a P7.38-billion extended contracts in May 2023 for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the line until July 2025.
The new contract’s scope was expanded to include extending rail lines and installing signals to the common station, which is shared with other lines, and expanding the pocket track necessary for increasing the number of railcars in a train from three to four, in addition to main line maintenance.
Dizon said the privatization of MRT-3’s O&M would proceed this year despite the extension of Sumitomo’s contract.
“We need to [have] public-private partnership for MRT-3. That is the goal for this year,” he said.
The agency tapped the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to facilitate the MRT-3’s privatization.
The government operates MRT-3, while the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), owned by Metro Rail Transit Holdings II Inc. led by businessman Robert John Sobrepeña, is responsible for the design and construction of the EDSA rail transit system.
Dizon earlier asked Sumitomo to fast-track the testing of unused Dalian light rail vehicles (LRVs) to expand the rail system’s capacity.
He said that before their deployment for daily use, the 48 Dalian trains should first clear safety checks, requirements and utilization procedures.
