By: Zacarian Sarao - Reporter / @zacariansINQINQUIRER.net / 07:26 PM May 31, 2023

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said that the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) will start running four-car trains for the second part of its rehabilitation, increasing its passenger capacity.


This came after the DOTr extended its contract with Sumitomo Corp. as the MRT 3’s rehabilitation and maintenance provider until July 2025.


According to a statement, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the shift from three to four-car trains would increase the MRT 3’s daily passenger capacity from the current 350,000 to over 500,000.


“We also expect Sumitomo to enhance MRT-3’s operational efficiency by using four-car train sets from the existing three-car sets. This will allow more passengers to traverse the length of EDSA, complementing the convenience offered by the EDSA Bus Carousel,” Bautista said.


The additional rehabilitation work will include the extension of the Taft pocket tracks to accommodate the four-car trains in the MRT 3’s mainline.


According to the DOTr, the MRT 3 currently runs 18 three-car trains with up to six spare trains.