Fate of R500-M Dalian trains still undecided

China’s CRRC Dalian Co. has to iron out the details of the technical adjustments to the R500 million worth of Metro Rail Transit 3 trains, which had been gathering dust in the depot for two years now, before the high-level government-togovernment meeting between the Philippines and China next month (August 20, 2018).

TUV Rheinland this January conducted an Independent Audit and Assessment (IAA) on the entire MRT-3 system, including the 48 train cars from CRRC Dalian. (This was separate from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) due diligence and system audit of the MRT 3 this February.)

While the MRT-3 cannot use the Dalian trains because of “deficiencies” – “variations” in measurements and weight specifications of the wagons, the TUV Rheinland audit concluded that the Dalian trains can still be used, if adjustments are made.

Specifically, the technical adjustments pertain to the noncompliance to the Terms of Reference which cover certain incompatibility issues such as the weight, and certain measurements relative to the technical specifications of the trains.

However, CRRC Dalian, not the Philippine government, must shoulder the cost for technical adjustments of the 48 Dalian trains, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade insisted the other day.

Asked how much work is needed to be done on the Dalian trains, he said, “One word — manageable.”

TUV Rheinland is a German company established in 1872. It’s an ISO 17020 and 17065 certified firm, one of the largest members of the International Federation of Inspection Agencies (IFIA). Independently, it has audited 2,353 train cars and 762-km of railways in over 50 projects.