The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to extend its maintenance contract with Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), which expires next month, to ensure uninterrupted service.

“There will be an extension. We will give the details once it’s finalized. It will be extended — that’s for sure. (We just have) to wait for the document once we release it,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon told reporters on the sidelines of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Infrastructure Forum on Monday.

Sumitomo currently holds a P7.38-billion contract covering technical support, routine maintenance, spare parts procurement, and additional rehabilitation works for MRT-3. 

The deal runs from June 2023 to July 2025 and includes repairs outside the original scope. The Japanese firm has been maintaining MRT-3 since it began full operations in 2000.

Alongside the contract extension, the DOTr is preparing to pilot automated fare collection carousels by July to allow commuters to pay using debit or credit cards directly at MRT-3 station counters.

The MRT-3 is currently operated by the government, while the Sobrepeña-led Metro Rail Transit Corp. remains in charge of its design, construction, and maintenance under a build-lease-transfer agreement set to expire later this year. Once the contract ends, the rail line’s assets will be turned over to the government.

The DOTr is eyeing a public-private partnership arrangement for MRT-3’s future operations and maintenance, open to either solicited or unsolicited proposals. Dizon said bidding should start this year.

In 2024, MRT-3 saw a 5.3 percent rise in ridership, serving 135.9 million passengers for the year, with daily averages climbing 5.1 percent to 375,474. October posted the highest monthly count at over 12 million.

Spanning 13 stations across Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Manila, MRT-3 was originally designed to carry over 23,000 passengers per hour per direction, with an expandable capacity of up to 48,000.