Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has urged MRT-3 maintenance provider Sumitomo Corp. of Japan to expedite safety testing for 48 unused China-made Dalian light rail vehicles (LRVs) to help expand the train line’s capacity. Acting on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ease daily commuter congestion, Dizon stressed the need to quickly determine the trains’ compatibility with the MRT-3 system.
He acknowledged Sumitomo’s strong safety standards and set a deadline for the company to report what is needed to deploy the LRVs. The move is expected to ease commuter load once approved, as part of a broader P7.38-billion rehabilitation and maintenance contract with Sumitomo and Oriental Consultants Global, which runs through July 2025.
All 48 light rail vehicles from China have been unused since their delivery in 2017 due to their incompatibility with the existing rail structure, particularly on their weight and other technical specifications.
Only nine of the 48 light rail vehicles have been provisionally accepted and two others were rated non-functional for transport purposes by the Commission on Audit.
