MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday criticized the decade-long delay in the use of Chinese-made Dalian trains for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), saying taxpayers waited too long for a service they had already paid for. “Nearly 50 coaches sat idle for 10 years. That’s wasted money, a wasted decade,” Marcos said during his fourth State of the Nation Address. “But now, we’ve fixed it.” Article continues after this advertisement He said three of the Dalian carriages are now operational, with more expected to be deployed before the end of the year. The 48 light rail vehicles were procured in 2014 under a ₱3.76-billion contract with China’s CCRC Dalian Co., but remained unused due to weight and system compatibility issues. Following technical modifications and safety clearances from independent evaluators, including TUV Rheinland and Sumitomo Corp., the government began phasing them into service earlier this month. by Taboola Sponsored Links You May Like AI Bot Flips Wall Street on Its Head: Turns $1K into $50K in Record 30 DaysA new AI trading robot reportedly generated a return of $14,158 from a $3,200 investment over the course of a week, according to verified trading records and third-party verification by MyFxBook.FX Market Insights Marcos himself led the inaugural trip of one of the refurbished Dalian trains at the MRT-3 Santolan-Annapolis station in Quezon City. by Taboola Promoted Links You May Like Use Home Equity to Secure Cash NowUse your home’s equity for cash, loan-free and fast.Unlock Lawyer questions SC’s ‘special treatment’ of Sara Duterte’s caseLawyer Catalino Generillo Jr. questioned the SC’s move to prioritize petitions challenging VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment over his plea to begin the Senate trial.Inquirer.net Bigger discounts, new family passes Alongside efforts to improve rail infrastructure, Marcos also announced expanded fare discounts and new commuter benefits for Filipino families. Article continues after this advertisement “The previous 20 percent fare discount at LRT and MRT for persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and students has been raised to 50 percent,” he said. He also introduced the “One Plus Three” Family Pass, a new Sunday-only promo allowing one paying passenger to bring up to three family members for free on select rail lines. Article continues after this advertisement “This gives families some savings when they go out for leisure or attend church,” Marcos added. The president reiterated that the government continues to upgrade services on existing lines even as it builds new ones like the North–South Commuter Railway and Metro Manila Subway. “Expect more of the remaining 45 coaches to be operational by the end of this year,” he said. “The rest will follow in the coming years.” /apl/dm
