MRT-3 to get new signaling system from original contractor

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on Thursday said it expects to award a P53.37 million contract to Bombardier Transportation Signal Ltd. for upgrading the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) signaling system.

 

“This will improve reliability and efficiency of the rail system for the benefit of our passengers,” DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said. Bombardier Transportation is the company that provided the original signaling system when the MRT-3 was constructed nearly 20 years ago.

 

“This upgrade of an obsolete signaling system, which should have been done by the private sector owner years ago, is crucial in minimizing operational disruptions,” he added.

 

Under the contract, Bombardier Transportation will replace the local control system MAN 900 with the more contemporary EBI Screen 900 which used fiber optic technology and can be hooked onto personal computers. The project is expected to take seven months.

 

The signaling system maintains safe distances between trains by controlling the engine speed. 

 

The upgrade ensures that spare parts will be available and augurs the uninterrupted and efficient operations of the busiest rail line in the metropolis, the department noted.

 

In the first month, Bombardier Transportation will provide all the hardware upgrades and software licenses including installation, testing, and commissioning of the new system

 

“Bombardier holds exclusive propriety rights to supply new components, as it designed, developed, and implemented the entire MRT-3 signaling system when it was constructed,” the DOTC said. – Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VS, GMA News