Three more Dalian train sets that have long been idle will finally begin servicing passengers on MRT-3 this December, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez announced on Tuesday.

After commuting from Cainta earlier on Tuesday, Lopez proceeded to the MRT-3 Depot in Quezon City to inspect the trains, including the Dalian units scheduled for deployment next month.

The move follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to expedite the rollout of the Dalian trains and ensure that the rest of the MRT-3 fleet is in good condition to provide safer and more convenient travel for commuters.

Secretary Lopez has ordered the fast-tracking of the “safety and requirements checks, as well as procedures for utilization” of the three three-car Dalian train sets to place them into service as soon as possible.

He emphasized that deploying the additional trains will significantly ease long queues at MRT-3 stations by increasing passenger capacity.

“Bagaman kailangang bilisan na rin ang pagde-deploy ng Dalian Trains, hindi natin iko-kompromiso ang kaligtasan ng mga pasahero kaya dadaan muna ito sa masusing safety checks para matiyak natin na ligtas ang biyahe ng mga kababayan natin,” Lopez stressed.

Joining the inspection were MRT-3 General Manager Mike Capati, Sumitomo Corp. Philippines Manager Hidenori Sunohara, CRRC Senior Regional Manager Damien Chang, and LTFRB Executive Director Loumer Bernabe.