Dalian trains’ fate known next month

MANILA, Philippines — The government will decide the fate of the light rail vehicles (LRVs) from CRRC Dalian Co. Ltd. acquired by the Aquino administration by early next month. 

Transport Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John Batan said Thursday the decision if the new trains for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) would be usable will come after the full audit report is submitted by the first week of May. 

Batan said he would give them one to two weeks following the submission of the full audit report to issue the final decision on the fate of the Dalian trains. 

“Kung hindi papasa ibabalik natin yan. Kung papasa, gagamitin natin yan (If they don’t pass, we will return them. If they pass, we will use them),” Batan told reporters. 

TUV Rheinland was tapped by the Department of Transportation as the independent audit and assessment consultant for the entire MRT-3 system.