Engineers assemble new MRT coaches at Taft Avenue station

Two new coaches of the Metro Rail Transit were assembled Saturday night by MRT engineers.

The fifth and sixth new coaches were put together at the Taft Avenue station in Pasay City.

Three coaches or light rail vehicles make one train set.

In all, 48 new coaches are expected to arrive in Manila.

Two more new coaches will be delivered in the next few months.

The training of drivers for the new coaches is ongoing, MRT general manager Roman Buenafe said on Monday.

"Yes, they are accumulating hours of actual hands-on driving," he told GMA News Online in a text message.

After the coaches are in place, MRT engineers will conduct a static test to ensure that everything will run well, from the air conditioning to the electrical system.

They will also do a dynamic test to find out if the new coaches will run on the rails without a hitch.

The new coaches have an alternating current motor, while the old coaches have direct current. 

MRT management said they expect that the new coaches may be used by the public next month. —with Jon Viktor Cabuenas/KG, GMA News