Grace Poe wants accountability over train sets incompatible with PNR tracks

Senator Grace Poe wants accountability over the procurement of three train sets from China which have been found to be incompatible with the existing tracks of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

During the Senate Committee on Finance’s hearing on the Department of Transportation's proposed P167.12-billion 2023 budget, Poe said the PNR had procured train sets with standard gauge even though the current tracks were of narrow gauge.

"Paparating na ito galing sa China. Walang mapaparkingan. Hindi rin magagamit ng PNR ngayon kasi narrow gauge ang riles nila Sino bang genius ang nag-order nito?" Poe asked.

Jeremy Regino, the general manager of the PNR, said he did not have a hand in the transaction and that the PNR board decided on the said procurement.

He said the procurement started in 2019 or before the pandemic.

Regino said the government at that time was looking forward to a loan agreement with China.

"With the signing of the China loan agreement, they felt the best solution, the best looking forward, it would be better to have a standard gauge train purchase rather than narrow gauge in order to be of use even after the South Long Haul project had already been established," Regino said.

He said the PNR at that time had a project relocation program wherein there will be two tracks—one narrow and the other standard—so it could be dual-fit.

However, he said it would not be viable if they would add a standard-gauge railway and that it would be more "judicious" if they would just convert the train sets to fit to the narrow-gauge tracks.

Right now, the PNR chief said the three trains purchased from China were still under the factory acceptance test and he already met with the China firm to ask if it was possible to convert the standard gauge trains to narrow gauge or if they could suspend the delivery and the production of the trains.

"Whoever who made that decision to buy the wrong specs of trains should be named and held liable. Bakit 'yan ang pinili niyo. Ngayon nahihirapan tayo magre-negotiate tapos magbabayad tayo ng extra para palitan na naman," Poe said. —NB, GMA News