The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is urging MRT-3 maintenance provider Sumitomo Corp. to fast-track the safety checks and testing of the unused Dalian light rail vehicles (LRVs) to ease congestion along the busy rail line.

“The Dalian trains can actually run on MRT-3 tracks, but this needs to be cleared by the current maintenance operator of the MRT-3, which is Sumitomo Corp. of Japan,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said on Thursday.

Referring to Sumitomo, which has handled MRT-3 maintenance since 2019, Dizon said he has repeatedly raised the matter with the Japanese firm.

“I’ve spoken to them about this several times already, and I gave them a deadline to give me a report and a straight answer: What do we need to make these trains run?”

Before deployment, however, the 48 Dalian trains, originally procured from China’s CRRC Dalian, must undergo comprehensive safety checks and meet all operational requirements, Dizon noted.

“Sumitomo Corp. will meticulously go through their processes and make sure that these trains, if usable, will be used safely for the benefit of our commuters,” he said.

Once cleared, the Dalian LRVs, each capable of carrying up to 1,200 passengers, are expected to significantly increase the MRT-3’s capacity and offer a potential solution to its chronic congestion issues.