LRTA 13000 class

Purchase

In 2013, feasibility studies were conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a southward extension of the LRT Line 1 to Cavite. It determined that once the extension was completed, sixty-one trains would be required for operation, but thirty-one of those are existing ones. Therefore, JICA proposed the purchase of thirty new trains to meet growing demand.^[10]

On October 16, 2015, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) invited train manufacturers to tender for the purchase of 120 light rail vehicles; Japanese companies were only allowed to bid.^[11] It subsequently identified Marubeni and Sumitomo Corporation as prospective bidders.^[12] However, in April 2016, the DOTC announced a failed bidding as none of them submitted proposals.^[13]

On December 28, 2016, DOTC's successor, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), called for bids again.^[14] Two bidders showed up: Marubeni with Hyundai Rotem, and Mitsubishi Corporation with Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).^[15] The latter won the JPY 30 billion (PHP 14.1 billion) contract on November 19, 2017,^[16][17] and the contract was signed on December 1.^[18] These trains are expected to gradually replace the aging 1000 class which has been in use since the opening of the line in 1984 and has undergone three refurbishments.

Mitsubishi implemented the contract and supplied the trains while CAF manufactured the trains.^[19] The new trains were funded by Japan's official development assistance.^[20]

Production and commissioning

Officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) unveiled a full-scale mock-up model of the 13000 class train on May 7, 2019.^[21]

The first two sets (8 cars) were initially planned to be delivered in July 2020,^[22] however the delivery of the train sets were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On January 18, 2021, the first batch of deliveries, consisting of the first trainset (4 cars consisting of two articulated cars each) arrived at the Port of Manila.^[23] These were unveiled to the public the following January 26.^[24][25] This trainset was then transported to Baclaran Depot in February.^[23]

The first trainset underwent static tests at the depot on September 15, 2021,^[26] followed by dynamic tests along the mainline on September 25.^[26] The trains then underwent 1,000-kilometer (620 mi) test runs conducted by the Light Rail Manila Corporation on May 4, 2022. Initially expected to enter in-service operations by the end of the month,^[27] the initial deadline was not met.

On July 19, 2023, the trains were inaugurated by President Bongbong Marcos. The first train set entered revenue service the next day, with others following suit in the succeeding weeks.^[28]

Water leaks

A few months before the trains entered service, Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez disclosed on February 16, 2023, that water leaks were found in eighty LRVs that were delivered to the Philippines. He further disclosed that as a result, these could not be used in mainline operations, and the government suspended payments to Mitsubishi and CAF in July 2022.^[29]

Chavez admitted that as a result of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, the DOTr was unable to send inspection teams to inspect the trains for any defects, while these were still undergoing factory acceptance tests.^[29] These defects were later fixed through a comprehensive roof rectification plan.^[30]

Car body

The train car body is made of stainless steel. Each vehicle has four pocket doors per side. Initially, the trains were to sport a silver-yellow livery,^[32] but was changed to crimson and silver^[33] after the mock-up model was unveiled in 2019. The trains also feature LED destination panels, like the 1200 class.^[3]

Interior

As opposed to the older rolling stock, the 13000 class includes hand straps aside from safety handrails installed above the train floor.

The trains are also the first in the Philippines to feature a specially-made wheelchair-compatible space or passenger with restricted mobility (PRM) areas, located closer to the driver's cab as compared to the 1100 class and 1200 class where it is located near the articulation.^[34] Unlike the 1200 class, there are also fewer side handrails in the middle sections of each vehicle. Longitudinal seating is present in the 13000 class, as per other train classes in the system.

Like the 1100 class and 1200 class, there are four pocket-type doors per side per car.^[31] For the driving cars, one door is installed on the side of the driving cab.

Electrical and mechanical

Each LRV has three inside-frame bogies consisting of two motorized bogies at the ends and a Jacobs trailer bogie under the articulation. Semi-permanent couplers are installed at the ends of every light rail vehicle, except for the driving cab section of the head car.^[6]

These trains are easily recognizable by their distinctive braking sounds, which produce a screeching noise when stopping. This trait was not present in earlier train class sets, even when they were first introduced.

Like the 1100 class and 1200 class, each LRV consists of four 105-kilowatt (141 hp) 3-phase AC induction motors, driven by variable-voltage/variable-frequency drive (VVVF) inverters with insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT).^[7] Auxiliary power is sourced from a static inverter, a low-power DC voltage supply, and batteries.^[8]

Signaling and control systems

The trains are equipped with the automatic train protection (ATP) system.^[35] Alstom was awarded the signaling and communications contract for the south extension of the LRT Line 1 in 2016. The contractual scope included the upgrading of the mainline signaling system and the installation of the Atlas 100 on-board signaling solution for 60 train sets across the existing three generations of trains and the 13000 class trains.^[9]

The trains are also equipped with a Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS).^[3]