Road To Progress's video: UPDATE Status of MRT-3 Rehabilitation Amidst Quarantine

METRO MANILA SUBWAY - https://youtu.be/Tt2enrx_31I ============================================================================== The rehabilitation of MRT-3 continues amidst the imposition of enhanced community quarantine in the entire island of Luzon. The Department of Transportation confirmed this following the exemption that the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases has given to some major Build Build Build projects. The transportation department, through its contractor, is taking the opportunity to do the repairs while the operations of the train system are temporarily suspended. Touted as one of the Department of Transportation’s biggest accomplishments, the -3 rehabilitation continues despite the COVID-19 pandemic. This, and other public rail infrastructure projects have secured approval to restart limited works during the Luzon-wide community quarantine, providing a necessary boost to lagging economic activity as the government vowed to proceed with its infrastructure agenda. As of posting, the rehabilitation focuses on the laying of 163 long-welded rails (LWR), which are 180-meter in length each, on the southbound from GMA-Kamuning to Cubao station. The said work started on March 6 of this year and is currently in a 95% completion rate. Last February 28, the DOTr has completed the laying of 148 long-welded rails in the northbound, starting from North Avenue Station through Quezon Avenue Station. The installation of new tracks from the Buendia to Taft stations on the MRT’s southbound side and from Buendia to Magallanes stations on its northbound side is likewise completed. Before the lockdown, the construction works happened during non-revenue hours from eleven o’clock in the evening until four o’clock in the morning of the next day. Once the laying of tracks is completed, passengers will be able to enjoy a smooth and easy ride – a completely different experience from the shaky feeling before. The speed is also expected to increase by a hundred percent from the current 30 kilometers per hour to 60 kilometers per hour. The headway, or the interval time between the arrival of trains, is expected to be reduced to 3 ½ minutes from the current 8 ½ minutes. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Corporation, the contractor of MRT-3 rehabilitation, has completed the installation of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) in all stations, in a move to increase the security and reliability of the rail service. The new UPS units have increased capacities at 40 kilo-volt-ampere each— compared to the old UPS units at 20 kilo-volt-ampere. This allowed the new UPS units to support the MRT-3’s Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system, unlike the old units. The transportation bureau added that the new UPS units also support the upgraded signaling systems of the MRT-3 for increased safety and security of the rail service’s passengers. Moreover, the contractor has also completed the installation of fiber optic cables in the entire line of MRT-3 to ensure the steady, safe distance between trains. Passengers are also able to have a comfortable ride as all air conditioning units of all coaches have been replaced. Around 90 brand-new air-conditioning units were installed in the train carts for a chill ride in September last year. Plus, station elevators and the long-missed escalators were all repaired: all of which are now working. The current rehabilitation project, a deal worth roughly P16.5 billion, is being carried out by the consortium of Sumitomo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and MHI’s wholly-owned Philippine subsidiary TES Philippines. This is the same group that built the MRT-3 and had the maintenance contract for it between 2001 and 2010. Under the MRT-3 rehabilitation project, Sumitomo-MHI will overhaul all 72 light rail vehicles, replace all mainline tracks, rehabilitate power and overhead catenary systems, upgrade the signaling system, communications and closed-circuit television systems and repair all of escalators and elevators. The project will last for 43 months, with rehabilitation works slated for completion In July next year.