The Philippine National Railways (PNR) has purchased seven new trains from Indonesian state-owned company PT Industri Kereta Api (PT INKA) in a bid to ramp up its operations.
PNR officers, led by PNR General Manager Jun B. Magno, inked a contract with PT INKA for the supply, delivery, testing and commissioning of the seven trains worth $21.4 million or around Php1.1 billion.
Of the seven train sets, four are diesel multiple (DMU) train units and the remaining three are diesel hydraulic locomotive (DHL) trains.
During his speech at the contract signing, Magno said this is the first time in 40 years that the PNR has bought new trains.
“We wish to have the PNR to have a new image, a new look. We want to think of it as the beginning of a great revival of the Philippine rail service,” Jun Magno, General Manager of PNR, said as reported by ABS-CBN.
He also explained that the new DMU trains will be similar to those of the MRT, but these will be run by diesel. On the other hand, the DHL sets are capable of running even in contact with water.
“The diesel hydraulic locomotive, with its five coaches can carry 1,330 passengers per trip and can wade flood water up to 20 inches from [the] top of the rail. This is PNR’s solution to rail service disruption during rainy days and typhoons,” said Atty. Celeste Lauta, Officer-in-Charge of the PNR’s Legal Division.
Meanwhile, Rini Soemarno, Indonesian Minister of state-owned enterprises, highlighted the importance of having an efficient train system.
“Connectivity is very crucial. It’s very important for economic development. We believe that the railway system is the easiest and the most efficient way to transport people of big numbers and also cargoes,” Soemarno said.
The new trains are expected to be delivered in 2020, but as early as now, the PNR is busy with the repair and upgrade of railways and existing trains.
Under the General Appropriations Act of 2018, over Php3.5 billion has been allotted for the PNR’s budget, significantly higher than its budget of around Php700 million in the previous years.
