Deployment of 4-car trains in MRT-3 extended to weekends

The Department of Transportation-Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (DOTr-MRT-3) began deploying three four-car Dalian trains on Saturday, October 18, "extending the deployment of said trains to weekends as well."

In a statement, the DOTr-MRT-3 said the deployment of four-car trains during weekends is part of its efforts to improve passenger convenience.

The latest development came after the pilot testing of six four-car Dalian trains deployment in the MRT-3 on Friday, which will be operating during the morning rush hour from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. “in line with the directive of Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez.”

“The four-car trains can accommodate more passengers per trip than the standard three-car trains, making them an effective measure to increase capacity and shorten passenger buildup in stations,” the DOTr-MRT-3 said.

A four-car Dalian train was deployed for the first time on the MRT-3 in late August.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the administration is working on operationalizing the idle Dalian trains for MRT-3, which were purchased in 2014.

In 2023, it was reported that the 48 sets of Dalian trains procured by the Philippine government to expand the operations of MRT-3 remained unused due to unresolved incompatibility issues with the rail system. —VAL, GMA Integrated News