The Department of Transportation said Metro Manila commuters can expect better train experiences after the Metro Rail Transit completed the overhaul of its 72 light rail vehicles that will augment its daily capacity.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said with more train sets to be deployed at the MRT-3, passengers can expect comfortable, convenient, and safe transport.
“Now that we have completed the overhaul of the 72 LRVs of the MRT-3, we expect more passengers to patronize the rail line, especially during rush hour,” Bautista said.
Bautista pointed out that the overhaul has been completed three months ahead of its initial target in May 2023.
The rail vehicles passed a series of quality and system checks to ensure the train sets are restored in good condition and are safe for commercial use.
The completion of the overhauling of the 23-year-old fleet will significantly increase the rail line’s passenger capacity with 18 to 20 train sets expected to be deployed during peak hours.
Before the overhaul of the LRVs, at least 10 to 15 train sets were deployed.
With its rehabilitation complete, the MRT-3 line has shortened the headway or waiting time between trains to 4 minutes from the previous interval of 9.5 minutes.
Train speeds have also increased from only 25-30 kilometers per hour to 60 kilometers per hour, reducing travel time from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City to just 45 minutes from the previous one hour and 15 minutes.