MANILA, Philippines – A 3rd China-made Dalian train will be servicing Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) commuters until February 1.

On Wednesday, January 23, the MRT3 management said the train manufactured by CRRC Dalian Company Limited is already running along the tracks for its 150-hour validation testing.

It will be running from 6 am to 9 pm.

The railway management said the train recently completed a 1,000-kilometer commissioning test run during non-operating hours.

The MRT3 deployed the first China-made train from October to November 2018, while the second was tested in December last year.

A total of 48 Dalian train coaches were delivered in 2016, but remained unused due to compatibility issues. The new coaches were part of the MRT3 expansion project, which aimed to decongest the railway system and increase its capacity to serve over 800,000 passengers daily.

The other trains are still undergoing repairs and tests to meet the Department of Transportation’s criteria, after the trains were deemed incompatible for the MRT3 line when they arrived in 2016.

So far, only one train with 3 coaches is being regularly used by commuters after it passed the tests.

Dalian has since agreed to pay for the trains’ revamp. – Rappler.com