THE national government is set to spend another P2.56 billion to sustain the revitalization of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) and improve the commuting experience of passengers, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo said on Sunday.
“We have another P2.56 billion for the MRT 3 Rehabilitation Project in the 2025 National Expenditure Program. The sum is on top of the P2.93 billion earmarked for the project in the 2024 General Appropriations Law,” Rillo said in a statement.
“The government is determined to the renew the MRT 3 to enhance passenger comfort and safety, accommodate the growing demand for mass public transportation, and alleviate motor vehicle road congestion,” Rillo said.
Rillo is vice chairperson of the House committee on Metro Manila development, and a member of the House committee on appropriations.
The ongoing MRT 3 rehabilitation project includes the overhaul and upgrading of existing rolling stock, rail tracks, signaling system, power supply system, overhead catenary system, communications system, and depot and station equipment, according to Rillo.
“The project is meant to improve the overall dependability of the MRT 3 as a fast and efficient mode of public transportation,” Rillo said.
Of the P2.56 billion that will be spent for the rehabilitation project in 2025, Rillo said P2 billion will come from loan proceeds, while the balance of P560 million will be covered by government counterpart funding.
Last year, the government signed a P6.9 billion supplemental loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the second phase of the rehabilitation project.
The MRT 3 conveyed an aggregate of 129,030,158 commuters in 2023, up by more than 30 percent from 98,330,683 passengers in 2022, according to the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).
Daily ridership averaged at 357,198 in 2023 from 273,141 in 2022.
The 16.9-kilometer, 13-station elevated train line along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) began operations in 2000.
The train system was constructed under a 25-year Build-Lease-Transfer (BLT) agreement between a private consortium grouped under the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Under the BLT agreement, the government, through the DOTr, manages and leases the MRT 3 and provides monthly equity rental payments to the MRTC, which owns the facility and bankrolled the construction of the train system.
Upon the expiration of the BLT agreement on July 20, 2025, the MRT 3 will become fully government-owned, and the DOTr plans to privatize the operations and maintenance of the train system.
