MANILA - The Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) management said Tuesday it was looking at doubling the running speed of trains by December once railworks are completed.

MRT-3 trains are expected to run at a 60-kilometer per hour speed by December if rail replacements are completed by September, the train line's director for operations Michael Capati said. Trains currently operate at a speed of 30 kph.

"Kapag natapos natin ang ating rail replacement ay maitataas na natin ang ating speed ng mga tren," he said in a virtual press briefing.

(Once we finish the rail replacement, we can increase the speed of our trains.)

Resumption of rail replacement works was allowed by the government's pandemic task force last April 6 even as Metro Manila was, at the time, still under strict lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.

• MRT, train works can resume during lockdown, says COVID-19 task force

According to the MRT-3 website, the trains can run at a maximum speed of 65 kph, traversing its tracks end to end from Pasay City to Quezon City in about 30 minutes.

• MRT rail rehab to finish in September, ahead of target: DOTr