The Philippine Senate has initiated an investigation into the prolonged idleness of the new CRRC tram-trains delivered to Manila between 2015 and 2017, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Philippine Senate Investigates Idle CRRC Tram-Trains
Photo: Raffy Tulfo

Senator Raffy Tulfo raised this issue during an inspection of the MRT-3 metro line depot, claiming that the government was aware of the new trains’ non-compliance with local standards but took no action to terminate the contract.

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From 2015 to 2017, the Chinese company CRRC delivered 48 three-car tram-trains of the 8MLB model to the Philippine capital.

According to the senator, launching these trains will require at least 2 billion Philippine pesos (about 34 million USD) annually for maintenance.

The senator believes that the Department of Transportation should return the CRRC trains and recover the spent 65 million USD.

The first of the delivered tram-trains began operations in May 2016, but since then, they have been repeatedly put into and taken out of service.

Currently, none of the units are operational. The reasons cited include both technical problems and legal disputes.

The technical issues mentioned are the incompatibility of signaling systems and increased axle load.

Legal obstacles are related to conflicts between the Department of Transportation and the owner of MRT-3.

The senator is calling for a more thorough investigation to determine why the government continued to work with CRRC despite the apparent problems.

He also emphasized the need to develop a strategy to improve Manila’s transport system, which is currently facing significant difficulties.

The Philippines is facing serious challenges in public transportation, and the situation with the CRRC tram-trains only exacerbates these problems.

Many residents of the capital experience daily inconveniences due to disruptions in metro and other transport services.

The current investigation may be the first step towards improving the situation and increasing accountability for decision-making in the transport infrastructure sector.

Photo: Raffy Tulfo

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