Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 1) — The government has turned over the repair works for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) to a private service provider on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the joint venture of Japan's Sumitomo Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and MHI's Philippine subsidiary TES Philippines (TESP) has taken over the rehabilitation and maintenance works on the train line effective May 1.

Sumitomo designed, built and maintained the MRT-3 for 12 years ending in 2012.

The takeover follows the signing of an ₱18.76-billion loan deal with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in November. This covers about 85 percent of the total project cost of ₱21.96 billion.

Japan is known for its efficient and punctual cross-country metro rail systems.

In 2017, DOTr ended its maintenance contract with South Korea's Busan Universal Rail, Inc. after a series of train breakdowns. The government initially took over MRT-3's services as it looked for a new private operator.

Before the JICA loan was secured, the Philippine government received a P20-billion unsolicited proposal from the group of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Ayala Group and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd., which is the same consortium running the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

Under the agreement, Sumitomo-MHI-TESP will overhaul all 72 light rail vehicles of the MRT-3, replace all mainline tracks, rehabilitate power systems, and upgrade the signaling and communication lines of the train system.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the rehabilitation plan also includes the restoration of escalators and elevators in all 13 stations of the MRT-3.

The train line runs from North Avenue in Quezon City all the way to Taft Avenue in Pasay.

The projects spans 43 months or a little less than four years, with rehabilitation work set for the first 26 months to be followed by nearly two years of maintenance.

With the upgrades, authorities expect to raise the number of operating trains from 15 to 20, increase operating speeds from 30 to 60 kilometers per hour, and trim headway or waiting time to 3.5 minutes.

Train capacity will likewise double to 650,000 passengers daily, Tugade said, adding that negotiations are underway to onboard the Dalian trains acquired by the previous administration which were initially deemed incompatible to the existing railway.

At present, three of these China-made trains have been cleared for use in the daily operations of the MRT-3.