Bidders invited for rehab of 23 LRTA trains

THE Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) is inviting bidders for the rehabilitation of the 23 light rail vehicles (LRVs) of the Light Rail Transit Line 1, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said on Friday.

LRTA said this set of repair works, amounting to P203 million, is meant to maintain the smooth operations of Line 1.

The procurement is part of the P1.062-billion LRT Safety, Reliability and Capacity Improvement Program of the DOTC to rehabilitate key components of the LRT system.

LRTA said that Bulk of the approved budget for the project, P150 million, will go to the rehabilitation of 21 dilapidated BN brand of LRVs.

"The car bodies of these 21 units have corroded and rusted out from the 14 years of use since they were last rehabilitated. Rehabilitation should bring an improved appearance and reliability to the old BN cars," it added.

The other P23 million will be used for the restoration of two 3rd Generation Kinki-Sharyo LRVs. These were the vehicles involved in separate train collision incidents in Balintawak and Roosevelt that need body repair and replacement of damaged parts to put them in commercial operational condition.

The Line 1 or Green Line is a 20.7-kilometer, 20-station railway system that has endpoints in Roosevelt in the North and Baclaran in the South.

About 500,000 commuters use Line 1 daily. It also connects with existing train systems; Line 1 commuters can transfer from Doroteo Jose Station to Line 2's (Blue Line) Recto Station, while line 3 (Yellow Line) passengers have easy access with Line 1's EDSA-Taft Station. (SDR/Sunnex)