Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has asked MRT-3 maintenance provider Sumitomo Corp. to fast-track the testing of unused Dalian light rail vehicles (LRVs), saying the trains will be beneficial to commuters once in operation and add thousands of passenger capacity.
Secretary Dizon stressed this is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to find ways to ease the daily burden of commuters, while guaranteeing their safety.
Before its deployment for daily use, Dizon said the 48 Dailian trains must be cleared first for safety checks and requirements as well as procedures for utilization.
“The Dalian trains can actually run on MRT-3 tracks, but this needs to be cleared by the current maintenance operator of the MRT-3, which is Sumitomo Corp. of Japan,” Secretary Dizon said Thursday, June 5, 2025.
“I’ve spoken to them about this several times already and I gave them a deadline to give me a report and a straight answer: what do we need to make these trains run?” he added.
The transport chief cited Sumitomo Corp.’s safety record and expressed confidence that the maintenance provider will meticulously inspect the Dalian trains’ components to ensure its compatibility with the MRT-3 rail line.
“Sumitomo Corp. will meticulously go through their processes and make sure that these trains, if usable, will be used safely for the benefit of our commuters,” he explained.
