Over 50 railway engineers from JICA kick off system audit on MRT3
Over 50 railway engineers and experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday kicked-off the due diligence and system audit of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) -3.
The system audit will determine all the rehabilitation and restoration works needed on the railway system, which will be done by a JICA-nominated provider to be mobilized in May.
A Japanese company designed and built the MRT-3 system from 1998 to 2000, and maintained it from 2000 to 2012.
However, JICA's system audit is separate from the ongoing Independent Audit and Assessment (IAA) by TUV Rheinland, an ISO 17020 and ISO 17065 certified and IFIA member certifier (International Federation of Inspection Agencies) for the entire MRT-3 system, including the 48 train cars from CRRC Dalian.
The TUV Rheinland IAA started its 3-month assessment last Jan. 3.
Additional trains on the MRT-3 are expected within February since the first batch of spare parts ordered last December are scheduled to be delivered and installed this month.
The spare parts already ordered have a delivery lead time of 30 days to 6 months.
“We created a Special Bids and Awards Committee for MRT-3 to address the urgent need to restore its service, expediting the procurement of spare parts," according to OIC Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is currently implementing a fourpoint strategy to rehabilitate and restore the MRT-3 system.
This involves promoting accountability by terminating the Busan Universal Rail, Inc. (BURI) contract and ensuring continued service delivery by establishing the Maintenance Transition Team.
In addition, the DOTr is contracting a qualified maintenance and rehabilitation service provider (together with the Japanese government) and putting in place a long-term, single-point-of-responsibility, operator and maintenance provider for the MRT-3 via an O&M Unsolicited Proposal.
Meanwhile, “The entire MRT3 system has become not only unreliable but have put to great risk the lives and limbs of the riding public," Busan Universal Rail, Inc. declared in a statement issued yesterday.
The worsening state of MRT-3 operations could largely be attributed to "the indiscretion and impropriety of the DOTr officials in disrupting what was otherwise ideal maintenance service being instituted over the past year.".
BURI accused MRT3 Director for Operations and Head of the Maintenance Transition Team (MTT) Michael Capati of offering explanations which "do not reflect the true and current state of the MRT3 system".
"The DOTr and MRT officials’ almost daily pronouncements to the general, as well as the riding public, are all grounded on sheer alibis and petty excuses, to the extent of laying blame, albeit unfounded, upon BURI, for the present state of the MRT-3 system, despite the fact that BURI’s contract with the DOTr has been terminated almost three months ago," maintained BURI spokesperson and legal counsel, Atty. Maricris Pahate.
“The continuing misleading information being issued by DOTr and MRT-3 officials are all aimed at placating the riding public."
"The DOTr’s efforts to find a solution to help resolve the mounting problems, unfortunately, are either disadvantageous to government or violative of the procurement law, rules and regulations," he argued.
"Meanwhile, the riding public will have to bear the consequences of the DOTr’s acts as its officials attempt to find palliative solutions to address the current situation, even as they continue to blame everyone, except themselves, for the present sorry state of the MRT3 system.” (EVA)