CoA flags failed transport system in MRT report

THE COMMISSION on Audit (CoA) flagged the Department of Transportation’s ( DoTr) failure “to provide the riding public with ( a) safe and comfortable transport system, in a new report that also cited flaws in the operations and expenses of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3).

MRT-3 in 2016 had 586 incidents of passenger unloading, 63 service interruptions, and 2,619 train removals ( trains being pulled out from their daily run), according to the CoA report released on June 23.

The report also noted MRT3’s “substantial” monthly bill of P54.5 million for maintenance service, as provided by the joint venture of Busan Transportation Corp., Edison Development and Construction, Tramat Mercantile, Inc., TMICORP, Inc., and Castan Corp. Said maintenance is according to a three-year contract in December 2015.

Citing that obligation, CoA said “the frequent incidents of train removals, service interruptions and passenger unloadings continue to recur.”

The aforementioned figures cited by the agency represent “an increase of 19.81%, 26.00%, and 163.96%, respectively, as compared with CY 2014, despite the maintenance services provided by Busan for a monthly fee of P54,500,000, thus causing distress and inconvenience to the riding public,” the CoA report said.

“Various endeavors to modernize the railway system are now being undertaken. The MRT- 3 Management pointed out in its letter dated May 26, 2017 that there was an increase in train availability, reduced operational disruptions and passenger unloadings in the early part of CY 2017,” the CoA report read.

For its part, Busan told state auditors it has fulfilled its commitment of dispatching 20 trains during the peak hours and 15 during the off- peak hours. The company also said there was an increase in the number of passengers at end-2016 to 496,324, from 250,252 in January last year.

Busan said that, before taking over, it found problems on the tracks as early as April 2011. “Mindful of the track condition, Busan assisted every time problems arise... on its own initiative.” The company, on the other hand, said the signaling system is not part of the maintenance contract.

CoA said, however, that Busan should “be responsible for providing and managing all of the services, functions, facilities, and associated resources, required for the maintenance of MRT-3 System, unless otherwise provided by the DoTr, which include( s) among others the maintenance of tracks, structures, signals, and communications.”

“The DoTr still failed to provide the riding public with safe and comfortable transport system even with the procurement and delivery from August 2015 to January 2017 of new 48 Light Rail Vehicles (LRV) for MRT-3 system with total cost of P3,759,382,400, which have been inoperational and unaccepted by DoTr as at reporting date and notwithstanding four (4) years in the procurement process and total payments of P527,761,083, due to glitches in power supply and signaling system,” the CoA report said. —