A total of 74 local and international companies from 14 countries have expressed interest in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) Capacity Expansion, Operations, and Maintenance (CEOM) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project.
The companies participated in a joint market sounding activity organized by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently at the ADB Headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan described the turnout as a ‘strong indicator’ of the project’s commercial viability, citing the line’s historical ridership of up to 620,000 to 630,000 passengers per day.
‘Itong MRT-3 PPP, it is a very viable and promising project. This is an existing line, and we know that historically, we know ‘yung ridership nito can reach up to 620,000 to 630,000 people a day,’ Batan said. ‘I think that’s the reason, ‘yang viability na ‘yan ang dahilan kung bakit sa Market Sounding natin ay napakaraming nag-attend.’
Under the MRT 3 CEOM PPP Project, the winning bidder will take over operations and maintenance of the existing line without service interruption, manage the MRT 3 area in the Common Station, introduce new Dalian trains into commercial service, procure additional rolling stock, and upgrade signaling, depot, power, and communication systems.
Last March, the Department of Finance (DOF) announced that the government secured an P8.2-billion funding from Japan to rehabilitate the MRT-3 to bring back the system’s original condition and improve commuter services.
A statement issued by the DOF indicated that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing the third tranche loan through a financing agreement.
The project will enhance train performance, reduce disruptions and prepare the railway for future expansion through major repairs and upgrades, the DOF said in a statement. All parts of the system will be repaired, renewed or upgraded, including tracks, signaling, power supply, communications and station equipment, it added.