MRT3 to get Japanese rehab and maintenance contractor by June —DOTr

The maintenance and rehabilitation works for the glitch-plagued Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) by a Japanese contractor will start in June, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday.

Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John Batan said the DOTr and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will start an “appraisal mission” in the second week of May, after which a loan agreement will be signed.

The appraisal is part of the official development assistance (ODA) process.

“After the appraisal mission signing ng loan agreement, then mobilization of our rehab and service provider by June,” Batan said.

Sumitomo Corp. and its technical partner, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries —the original maintenance providers of the railway system from 2003 to 2012—will most likely get the rehabilitation and maintenance contract from JICA, Batan noted.

In January, the Philippines and Japan exchanged the notes verbale on a government-to-government agreement cover the maintenance and rehabilitation of MRT3.
  
JICA is now conducting a feasibility study to refine the project scope.

“Because JICA needs to know what’s the condition of the system para malaman nila ano ‘yung kailangang ayusin ... So andun na kami ngayon, meron na kaming working draft ng listahan ng lahat ng kailangang ayusin,” Batan said.

The maintenance and rehabilitation contract will run for 36 months.

The DOTr terminated the MRT3 maintenance contract with Busan Universal Railways Inc. (BURI) in November last year, citing “poor performance.” —VDS, GMA News