First Dalian train set now servicing MRT3 commuters

Three years after Dalian trains were delivered, passengers of MRT3 were finally greeted on Tuesday night by a Dalian train set that will be servicing commuters from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. until the end of October.

According to Dano Tingcungco’s Wednesday report on 24 Oras, maintenance provider Sumitomo and the Japan International Cooperation Agency approved the deployment of the first Dalian train set composed of three coaches.

One train set can carry over 1,000 passengers.

The deployed train set was among the three that underwent commissioning, validation, and a 150-hour test run from October 2018 until January this year.

The three train sets underwent commissioning, validation, and a 150-hour test run from October 2018 until January this year.

The trains will only be running at a speed of 30 kph due to the “degraded” condition of the rails.

“Maraming dapat i-balanse. We try, pagdating kasi sa capacity, ang involvement niyan is 'yung faster speed, shorter headway, 'di ba? Kaya lang ang requirement naman niyan is to rehabilitate the tracks. Magagawa natin 'yan pag natapos na 'yung ating pagpapalit ng buong riles by July 2021,” said MRT3 Director for Operations Michael Capati.

However, the Dalian trains will only be servicing commuters until the end of the month as the overhaul of the MRT3’s rails, signaling system, and power supply are scheduled in November.

According to Capati, the Dalian trains will be able to run at a speed of 60 kph once all projects and rehabilitations of the MRT3 are completed in July 2021.

The headway or waiting time for passengers on the platform will also be reduced to 3.5 minutes, while the capacity of the trains will be doubled to 650,000.

The Dalian trains, which were purchased in 2014 and delivered in 2016, have been idle for years as they were deemed overweight and incompatible with the MRT3 system. 

The Department of Transportation in October last year said the issues with the Dalian trains were “manageable.”

In July, the transportation agency vowed that the new trains will be operational before Christmas 2019. —Julia Mari Ornedo/NB, GMA News