MRT 3 finally uses Dalian trains after 10-year wait

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. formally launched the deployment of the Dalian trains at MRT 3, nearly a decade after government acquired the train sets.

“This is the first day that these Dalian trains are finally in service — mula noong binili, hindi pa nagamit ito,” Marcos said as a Dalian train rolls by MRT-3 Santolan-Annapolis Station.

The Philippines acquired 48 light rail vehicles in 2014 from CCRC Dalian Co., but technical compatibility issues prevented their use on the MRT-3 system.

After years of storage, only three of the train sets — comprising nine coaches — are now ready for use.

“Ngayon pa lang, three trains na tatlong karwahe. So, nine itong cars na ito… tuloy-tuloy natin na titingnan at gagawan ng paraan para magamit dahil sampung taon nakaparada ito eh,” he said.

Modifications to the trains were made at no cost to the Philippine government.

German firm TUV Rheinland oversaw a full technical audit, while MRT-3’s current maintenance provider, Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, conducted final safety checks.

Once all 48 Dalian cars are deployed, capacity is expected to increase significantly, with reduced intervals between trains from four minutes to as low as 2.5 minutes.

The MRT-3 currently serves around 380,000 passengers daily.“Kaya nakakatuwa naman. Hindi naman nasayang ang ating pondo,” the President said.