The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) has awarded the P131.28-million contract for the largest component of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3) maintenance requirements to a German-Filipino joint venture.
DOTC said Schunk Bahn-und Industrietechnik GmbH–Comm Builders & Technology Phils. Corp. Joint Venture (SBI-CB&T JV) bagged the six-month contract, which covered the maintenance of rolling stocks, depot equipment, and signaling system of the trains.
DOTC said the SBI-CB&T JV would be “responsible for the upkeep of the MRT 3’s trains, signaling system, and depot equipment starting on July 5.”
SBI is an original equipment manufacturer of high-quality power transmission railway equipment while CB&T is part of the joint venture that currently maintains the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) system.
The six-month contract of the four components of the MRT 3 maintenance has been earlier awarded. This includes rail tracks and permanent ways, buildings and facilities, communications systems and ticketing or the current automated fare collection system.
The DOTC said it was procuring maintenance sub-contractors directly under a multi-disciplinary approach in order to enhance the efficiency of maintenance works per component, in the meantime that it was preparing the three-year maintenance contract for procurement.
This leaves only two out of the seven components still for procurement and award—the power supply and overhead catenary system, and the conveyance systems.
Last week, the DOTC said the prototype for the 48 new trains would arrive by mid-August.
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