By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINE government on Wednesday launched the first batch of long-idled Dalian train cars, more than a decade after they were bought from China, as it tries to ease congestion in Metro Manila’s rail network and improve public transportation.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. led the rollout ceremony at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) Santolan-Annapolis station in Quezon City, where he announced that three Dalian trains — each consisting of three coaches — had officially begun commercial operations on the same day.

This marks the first time any of the Dalian trains have been used since the government acquired 48 train sets from Chinese manufacturer CCRC Dalian Co. in 2014. The trains were delivered in 2016 but remained unused due to technical incompatibilities with the MRT-3’s existing infrastructure and signaling systems.

“Now there are already three trains with three coaches each, so that’s nine cars in total,” Mr. Marcos said in Filipino. “Out of the 48, we will continue to look into and find ways to use them because they’ve been parked here for 10 years without being used.”

The deployment of the Dalian trains will reduce the waiting time between trains on the MRT-3 from four minutes to 2.5 minutes, effectively increasing the line’s capacity, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

The launch comes amid worsening traffic in the capital, which ranked as the 14^th most congested city in the world in 2024, with an average of 32 minutes and 10 seconds needed to travel just 10 kilometers, according to the TomTom Traffic Index released in January.

Data from the Department of Transportation showed that MRT-3 served more than 135 million passengers last year, equivalent to about 380,000 daily riders.

However, the launch also drew criticism from commuter advocacy group PARA Commuters’ Network, which said the government was simply putting a band-aid on deep-rooted transport problems.

“Marcos and [Transportation Secretary Vivencio B.] Dizon distract us with short-term comforts, but in exchange, we face longer suffering and higher fares under their pro-business policies,” the group said in a Viber message. “Our call is this: public transportation should be a public service.”

The group criticized the government for celebrating the use of just three out of the 48 Dalian trains, which cost taxpayers over P500 million and had remained idle for nearly a decade.

PARA also warned that despite the MRT-3’s full transfer to government ownership by July 2025, the Marcos administration still appeared committed to further privatization of transport services.

“This policy has wasted billions in public funds on fees and rent while delivering poor services marked by frequent interruptions, outdated systems, and inefficiency under various private operators,” the group added.

During the same inspection, Mr. Marcos also launched a 50% fare discount for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD) for LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3 — extending a similar benefit earlier granted to students in June.

“Previously, we were able to give discounts to our students… Now, we will add senior citizens and persons with disabilities to that group who will receive a 50% discount,” he said.

The initiative raises the statutory discount from 20%.

Mr. Marcos said the policy is expected to benefit about 13 million senior citizens and 7 million PWDs nationwide.

Mr. Dizon said the discounts would apply daily and the government would consider expanding the program to other modes of public transport.

Also on Wednesday, Mr. Marcos inspected the Metro Manila Subway project and vowed to complete it by the end of his term in 2028.

“We might finish this (Valenzuela to Ortigas) by 2028; maybe we can inaugurate it in 2028,” he told reporters in Filipino at the Camp Aguinaldo station site.

The 33-kilometer underground railway will span 17 stations from Valenzuela City to Parañaque City and is expected to cut travel time from Valenzuela to Ninoy Aquino International Airport from two hours to just 40 minutes.

A tunnel boring machine for Contract Package 103 was recently launched from Camp Aguinaldo toward Ortigas, tunneling beneath White Plains, Corinthian Properties and the Meralco compound.