DOTr says issues hounding Dalian trains 'manageable' to begin with

The issues that caused the years of delay in the deployment of Dalian trains in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) were found to be "manageable" concerns, results of an audit on the rail system revealed.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV on Monday, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said the incompatibility issues on the Dalian trains were "manageable."

"Hindi gano'n kalaki. Manageable siya," Batan said, when asked about the supposed discrepancies of the Dalian trains procured by the then Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in 2016.

In 2014, the DOTC bought 48 light rail vehicles (LRVs) from CRRC Dalian Co. Ltd., with the initial batch of delivery set in 2015.

The trains were left idle since their delivery, however, as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) claimed the trains procured were not compatible with the MRT3 system as they were "overweight."

Former Transportation Secretary Emilio Joseph "Jun" Abaya in 2016 refuted such claims, saying that the LRVs are "100-percent compatible" with the MRT system.

The DOTr earlier this year ordered an audit by German company TUV Rheinland on the trains to review if these were safe for public use, and results revealed that they could be used without compromising passenger safety.

While the DOTr has yet to release the full comprehensive report on the audit, Batan on Monday said the Dalian trains delivered to the Philippines followed most of the terms of reference (TOR) required by the government.

"Sabi ni TUV, so ito 'yung mga listahan nu'ng mga kailangan na tugma na mga aspeto ng Dalian trains doon sa ating terms of reference. Karamihan doon sa mga aspeto na iyon ay tugma naman," said Batan.

Still, Batan noted that there were changes needed to be made in the trains. He said the changes were needed in "open items," but he did not elaborate.

"Meron silang ilang mga items, 'yung tinatawag naming open items, na kailangang i-address," he said.

"Matapos nilang ma-issue 'yung report na 'yan ay pumayag sa pag-uusig na rin ni Secretary [Arthur] Tugade si CRRC Dalian, 'yung supplier natin, na ayusin 'yung mga open items at no cost to governement," he elaborated.

The first three Dalian LRVs were deployed on Saturday, October 27, with the rest of the 48 LRVs set to be deployed once cleared by the government.

LOOK: DOTr deploys first batch of Dalian trains on MRT3. https://t.co/f5DebgtPTf

Photo via YouScooper Emerson Bardos. pic.twitter.com/woqs6fEcei

— YouScoop (@YouScoop) October 28, 2018

—Jon Viktor Cabuenas/KG, GMA News