MRT-3 deploys its first four-car Dalian train
The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 has deployed its four-car Dalian train for the first time, the Department of Transportation announced.
The train was cleared for operations on Aug. 26 after passing a series of safety checks. With the addition of a fourth car, each Dalian set can now carry 500 more passengers to help ease congestion during peak hours.
The four-car set will run during rush hours from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The deployment of long-idled Dalian trains was addressed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s 2025 State of the Nation Address, where he emphasized the importance of putting the trains, which were purchased in 2014, to use.
“Halos singkwentang dagdag na karwahe ang natengga nang sampung taon. Sayang ang pera. Sayang ang isang dekada. Pero ngayon, naayos na natin," the president stated on his 2025 nation address.
This development follows the initial deployment of the first three Dalian trains in July.
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said in a post-SONA interview in San Juan in July that the agency aims to deploy more units in the coming months, with the remaining 39 units set to be activated by 2026.
The 48 light rail vehicles or LRVs were procured from CRRC Dalian of China during Aquino’s administration in 2014 to expand MRT-3’s capacity and reduce overcrowding. The Light Rail Vehicles were delivered in 2016 but left unused nearly a decade later due to technical incompatibility with the MRT-3 railway system.
With a maximum capacity of 1,200 passengers, the Dalian trains are expected to increase service frequency by cutting intervals between trains from four minutes to just two and a half minutes.
