MRT Line 3 (Metro Manila)
Despite its name, the line is more akin to a light rapid transit system owing to its tram-like rolling stock while having total grade separation and high passenger throughput.[2] Total ridership significantly exceeds its built maximum capacity of 350,000 passengers a day, with various solutions being proposed or implemented to alleviate chronic congestion.DOTC planned to construct a light railway transit line along EDSA, a major thoroughfare in Metropolitan Manila, which would traverse the cities of Quezon, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Pasay.[10] Five groups responded to the invitation: ABB Trazione of Italy, Hopewell Holdings Ltd. of Hong Kong, Mansteel International of Mandaue, Cebu, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. of Japan, and EDSA LRT Consortium, composed of ten foreign and domestic corporations: namely, Kaiser Engineers International, Inc., ACER Consultants (Far East) Ltd. and Freeman Fox (both later merged with Hyder Consulting), Tradeinvest/ČKD Tatra of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republics, TCGI Engineering All Asia Capital and Leasing Corporation, The Salim Group of Jakarta, E. L. Enterprises, Inc., and A.M. Oreta & Co. Capitol Industrial Construction Group, Inc., and F. F. Cruz & Co., Inc. EDSA LRT Consortium was the sole firm that passed the pre-qualification process, and submitted its proposal to the DOTC on July 16.[13][14] The Supreme Court had a case barring Eli Levin from implementing the project in March 1994, and the bids were ABB and Mitsubishi Corporation, which also wanted to supply contracts.Meanwhile, the DOTC would assume all administrative functions, such as the regulation of fares and operations, leaving the MRTC responsibility over construction and maintenance of the system as well as the procurement of spare parts for trains.The DOTC also sought the services of SYSTRA, a French consultant firm, with regards to the technical competence, experience and track record in the construction and operations.[1] On December 15, 1999, the initial section from North Avenue to Buendia was inaugurated by President Joseph Estrada,[18] with all remaining stations opening on July 20, 2000, a little over a month past the original deadline, due to DOTC's inclusion of additional work orders such as the Tramo flover in Pasay leading to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.[19] However, ridership was initially far below expectations when the line was still partially open, with passengers complaining of the tickets' steep price and the general lack of connectivity of the stations with other modes of public transportation.[20] Passengers' complaints of high ticket prices pointed to the maximum fare of ₱34 (equivalent to ₱79.21 in 2021), which at the time was significantly higher than a comparable journey on those lines operated by the LRTA and the PNR or a similar bus ride along EDSA.The MRTC stated that the segment could not be made as an elevated railway due to the air rights above the LRT-1 already being awarded to the Department of Public Works and Highways for a flyover in 1996.[24] BURI insisted that the disruptions the railway line was experiencing is due to "inherent design and quality concerns" and not to poor maintenance or normal tear or wear.[51] After the rehabilitation of the line which included the upgrading of the power supply, a dynamic test run for the use of four-car trains for regular operations was conducted on March 9, 2022.[53][54] Although full conversion was initially planned to be achieved by 2023,[55] all trains reverted to the existing 3-car configuration a few months after the months-long free rides ended.[73] On March 22, President Rodrigo Duterte and Secretary Tugade inaugurated the newly rehabilitated line at a completion ceremony held at Shaw Boulevard station.During Holy Week, a public holiday in the Philippines, the line is closed for annual maintenance, owing to fewer commuters and traffic around the metro, leaving the EDSA Carousel as an alternative mode of transport.[83] It has experimented with extended opening hours, the first of which included 24-hour operations beginning on June 1, 2009 (primarily aimed at serving call center agents and other workers in the business process outsourcing sector).[86] Responding to a commuter's concern on X (formerly Twitter) about the limited operating hours at night,[87] the Department of Transportation (DOTr) explained in August 2023 the need for timely maintenance works, since any delays would affect other portions of the line for the next trips.[15] However, fare gates are located at the platform level in most stations, meaning that commuters will need to exit the paid area to catch a train going in the opposite direction.Switching trains without paying a new fare is only possible at the Araneta Center–Cubao, Boni, Buendia, Ayala, and Taft Avenue stations due to their different layout.Due to the very high patronage of the line, before the pandemic, part of the platform corresponding to the first car of the train is cordoned off for the use of senior citizens, pregnant women, children who are below 4 feet (1.2 m) and age seven, and disabled passengers.The line's safety was affirmed in a 2004 World Bank paper prepared by Halcrow, describing the overall state of metro rail transit operations in Manila as being "good".[117][118] For the fourth straight year, the MRT 3's ridership continues to rise to its pre-pandemic levels in 2024, as the railway line served a daily average of 375,474 passengers.[144] These lower fares—which are only slightly more expensive than jeepney fares—ended up being financed through large government subsidies amounting to around ₱45 per passenger,[143][145] and which for both the MRT and LRT reached ₱75 billion for the 10-year period between 2004 and 2014.[148] In his 2013 State of the Nation Address, President Benigno Aquino III claimed that it would be unfair for non-Metro Manila residents to use their taxes to subsidize the LRT and MRT.The deployment of the Dalian trains was delayed due to several factors, including weight limits on existing tracks and inconsistencies in production, which has since been corrected.A study about the integration of Metro Manila's railway network, published by JICA in 2001, proposes the through-operation of both LRT-1 and the MRT-3, which would have interoperability to create a seamless loop around the region.[185][186] The expansion was shelved by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in favor of the LRT Line 1's extension from Monumento to a new common station that it will share with at North Avenue, thus closing the loop.[196] In a feasibility study in 2009 and in 2015, launched by Japan International Cooperation Agency, along with the Department of Transportation, the Transport and Traffic Planners (TTPI) Inc.[197] and other Japanese and local railway officials, launched a plan to extend the present MRT line's southern end, by constructing a 2.2-kilometer (1.4 mi) at-grade and underground segment, from Taft Avenue station to the SM Mall of Asia complex.Such a plan was pitched in July 2023 by Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez, when the department considered privatizing the operations and maintenance and bundling it with that of the LRT Line 2.
MRTC 3000 classOrtigas InterchangeFilipinoMetro Rail Transit CorporationMetro ManilaNorth AvenueTaft AvenueLight rapid transitManila Metro Rail Transit SystemDepartment of TransportationMRTC 3100 classDoubleGrade separatedTrack gaugestandard gaugeLoading gaugeMinimum radiusElectrificationoverhead catenarySignallingAlstomEBICABMaximum inclinespur lineQuezon AvenueGMA–KamuningAraneta Center–CubaoSantolan–AnnapolisQuezon CityMandaluyongOrtigasShaw BoulevardPasig RiverMakatiGuadalupeBuendiaMagallanesOsmeña HighwayAH 26 (E2)South Luzon Expresswayrapid transitPhilippinesEpifanio de los Santos Avenuetram-likerolling stockgrade separationbuild–lease–transferShaw Boulevard stationTaft Avenue stationJapan International Cooperation AgencyManila Light Rail Transit SystemZürichFreeman Fox and AssociatesLRT Line 1QuezonOscar OrbosCorazon AquinoBuild-Operate-TransferHopewell Holdings Ltd.Mitsui & Co., Ltd.Hyder ConsultingČKD TatraThe Salim GroupNorth Avenue, Quezon CityMonumentoCaloocanCabinetFidel V. RamosF.B. HarrisonSupreme CourtMitsubishi CorporationAyala LandMagallanes stationBuild-Lease-TransferSumitomo CorporationMitsubishi Heavy IndustriessubcontractedSiemens AGEastern BlocSYSTRAJoseph EstradaNinoy Aquino International Airportwhite elephantMetro Manila Skywayair rightsDepartment of Public Works and HighwaysflyoverSchunk Bahn-und IndustrietechnikBusan Universal Rail IncorporatedTES Philippines IncorporatedPhilippine SenateJun Abayajoint ventureBusan Transportation CorporationBusan Universal Rail, Inc.CNR Dalian48 light rail vehiclespocket trackNorth Avenue stationMetro Pacific InvestmentsSan Miguel CorporationNational Economic and Development AuthorityBuild! Build! Build!Commemorative plaqueQuezon Avenue stationMRTC Class 3000COVID-19 pandemicArthur TugadeRodrigo DuterteinflationNorth Triangle Common StationAyala stationSan JuanMagallanes InterchangePhilippine National RailwaysLRT Line 2station of the sameMRT Line 7North TriangleManila LRTManila MRTEDSA CarouselBus routesSM North EDSAGateway MallRobinsons Galleria