MRT-3 (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
More than 50 railway engineers and experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have started its system audit of the glitch-prone Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced听on Thursday.
听The DOTr said the system audit would determine what was needed to rehabilitate and restore in the MRT-3 system.
听Once the audit is completed, a rehabilitation and maintenance provider to be nominated by JICA would be mobilized in May to fix the transit line, the DOTr disclosed.
听听鈥淲e obviously need all the help we can get and we are very grateful that the Japanese听government answered our call for assistance to rehabilitate and restore the MRT-3听system,鈥� DOTr OIC Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan said in a statement.
听Batan explained that JICA鈥檚 audit was separate from the ongoing independent audit and assessment by TUV Rheinland for the entire MRT-3 system, as well as the new train cars procured from China-based railways firm CRRC Dalian.
听The additional trains were expected to arrive in February听as the first batch of spare parts for current MRT-3 trains were scheduled to听be delivered and installed in the same month, Batan said.
听鈥淪ec. Tugade ordered the creation of a Special Bids and Awards Committee for MRT-3 to address the urgent need to restore its service, which require the expedited听procurement of spare parts, among others,鈥� he added.听/je