THE Philippines Department of Transportation (DOTr) has announced that “at least 26 reputable companies from Japan” have expressed interest in the public-private partnership (PPP) contract that will be tendered to operate, maintain and upgrade the 17km elevated MRT-3 metro line in Manila.
While DOTr has not named the companies that came forward during a market sounding exercise conducted in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Tokyo last month, it says that the response underscores the private sector’s confidence in the Philippine railway sector.
Japanese companies who already have links with rail projects in the Philippines include Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Japan Transport Engineering and Hankyu, but none have yet been linked with the future operating tender for Line MRT-3.
Running along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) from Taft Avenue to North Avenue, MRT-3 serves 13 stations and carried an average of 400,000 passengers a day in 2025.
According to local media reports, the contract will cover the deployment of 12 four-car trains delivered by CRRC Dalian in 2017 which only began to enter service last year, as well as the acquisition of new rolling stock.
The line will be resignalled while fleet maintenance facilities, telecommunications and power supply systems and the operations control centre will be upgraded. Operating speeds will be restored to 60km/h and peak headways cut to 3min 30sec, with the objective of increasing capacity to 700,000 passengers a day.
"The MRT-3 PPP is more than an investment opportunity, it is an invitation to help reshape how millions of Filipinos can swiftly move every single day,” says transport secretary, Giovanni Lopez.
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