LRTA 2000 class. The LRTA 2000 class  is a class of electric multiple units in operation on the LRT Line 2, manufactured by Rotem and Toshiba.
 
A total of seventy-two cars configurable to eighteen train sets were manufactured from 2002 to 2003 under the fourth package contract of the initial construction of Line 2.

Operational history

Purchase and production
The project's fourth package, which involved communications and fare systems, vehicles, and trackwork, had eight bidders submit bids in July 1997. The selected firms included: Sumitomo in partnership with GEC Alsthom (now Alstom), Alcatel, Barclays, and Meidensha Corporation; MMC Consortium made up of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hyundai Presicion (which later merged to become Rotem and was renamed Hyundai Rotem), with John Holland, Mitsubishi Electric, and Union Switch & Signal as subcontractors; CCDET Consortium consisting of Spanish companies Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Elecnor, Curbertas y MZOV (now Acciona), Dimetronic, and Tomen as subcontractors; USJP Consortium consisting of Nissho Iwai (now Sojitz Corporation), Raytheon Ebasco Overseas, General Railway Signal, and Nippon Sharyo; Kanemastu Corporation and Ansaldo SPA (now Hitachi Rail Italy) consortium with subcontractors Breda Construzioni, Hanjin Heavy Industries (later merged to become Rotem and renamed Hyundai Rotem) and Spie Entrans SA; Siemens/Mitsui consortium with Marta Transport as subcontractors; Asia-Europe MRT Consortium comprising Marubeni, Balfour Beatty, Toshiba, and Daewoo Heavy Industries (which later merged to form Rotem and was renamed Hyundai Rotem), with subcontractors GPT International and GEC Alsthom; and AdTranz, ABB Power, and Itochu Corporation consortium.

In 1998, several Japanese companies participated in the bidding for the rolling stock for the LRT Line 2, which, according to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, were hounded with alleged anomalies. Although it was promptly corrected by the Estrada administration after it assumed power in the middle of that year, it also encountered similar anomalies in May 2000, such as the disqualification of two bidders in the final evaluation for the project. Only two bidders, Ansaldo, and Mitsui with Siemens, passed the technical evaluation process.

In September 2000, the AEMC secured the fourth package contract. AEMC won over the other bid, MMH Consortium.

Seventy-two train cars (18 sets) were produced by Rotem (now Hyundai Rotem) between 2002 and 2003. These were built in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Hyundai Rotem constructed the main car body while Toshiba provided the electric components. The first four train sets arrived in November 2002, while the remaining fourteen were delivered in the succeeding months.

Mainline operations
By 2014, twelve out of the eighteen sets remained in service. By May 2019, it was reduced to eight following a collision involving two train sets, and by October, further reduced to five following a power supply incident. By July 2021, running trains were increased to six after the opening of the east extension, subsequently increased to eight. Currently, eight trains are operational, while the other trains are being repaired/overhauled or awaiting spare parts.

Upgrades
On April 16, 2018, the Light Rail Transit Authority signed a contract with Multi-Scan Corporation and MRail, Inc. for the replacement of 80 air-conditioning units in ten train sets. It used parts from the original equipment manufacturer of the air-conditioning units, Carrier Corporation. The replacement of air-conditioning units started on March 7, 2019, and was completed the following May 24.

Rehabilitation of three trains started on March 3, 2021. AMSCO JV, the then-maintenance provider of Line 2, started the installation of new train propulsion systems and train monitoring systems from Woojin Industrial Systems in three trains in order for those to return to service ahead of the original scheduled opening of the east extension the following April. The refurbishment was completed in the same year.

Design

Car body 

The car body is made of stainless steel, and the under frame shares the similar material with LAHT steel. The trains sport a livery of yellow and purple cheatlines. The upper yellow lines represent mango, the unofficial national fruit, while the thicker purple lines are based from the ube, sporting a geometric ethnic design.

The trains have round front ends, which bears resemblance to the second-generation Korail Class 311000 (Seoul Subway Line 1), 341000 (Seoul Subway Line 4), and 351000 (Suin–Bundang Line); these EMUs are also manufactured by Rotem (or then KOROS).

Each car has two roof-mounted air-conditioning units manufactured by Carrier with a cooling capacity of  per hour. In total, there are eight air-conditioning units in a single train set.

Trains prominently use wrap advertising. Certain train sets feature upgraded signages, now in LED, instead of sign scrolls.

Interior 
The inner train space is lined with melamine and/or polyester faced ply metal. The windows are tinted safety glass, and the longitudinal seats are made of fiberglass reinforced plastics. The seats have a length of . The flooring is of stainless steel keystone plate and a thick, nonslip covering. Open gangways are present in between cars with a width of .

In 2017, some trains were retrofitted with the Passenger Assist Railway Display System (now known as TUBE), a passenger information system powered by LCD screens installed near the inner ceiling of the trains that shows news, advertisements, current train location, arrivals and station layouts. However, as of 2022, the LCD screens remain switched off and unutilized.

Electrical and mechanical 
Each car has two bolsterless bogies underneath the car with an axle length of . The primary suspension consists of an elastomeric spring  and the secondary suspension is a diaphragm air spring. Mechanical Shibata couplers are present at the ends of the driver cabs, along with anti-climbers above it. Semi-permanent couplers are present in between cars (non-cab ends).

The traction system consists of VVVF inverters controlled by IGBT semiconductors. Two alternating current induction motors with a power output of  are mounted on each bogie. Toshiba supplied the original VVVF controller and propulsion systems, while Woojin Industrial Systems supplied the new propulsion systems for three train sets. Its auxiliaries consist of 3,300-volt static inverters and 110-volt DC batteries.

Train formation
The configuration of a four-car trainset is Mc1–M1–M2–Mc2. All cars are powered and equipped with traction motors; Mc denotes a driving car while M denotes an intermediate car.

Fleet list

Incident 
On May 18, 2019, two trains collided between  and , injuring 34 passengers with none in critical condition. Revenue operations were suspended to give way for maintenance checks; operations resumed at 10:47 a.m. the next day.

The incident started at 2:09 p.m. when trainset no. 13 broke down at Katipunan station after the train's static inverters, which powers the electrical and braking systems, failed. The defective train was subsequently moved to the pocket track near Anonas station, waiting to be towed back to the depot. However at 9:15 p.m., the train was reported to have moved on its own towards the eastbound track going towards Santolan station, after its air pressure slowly dissipated, causing the brake shoes of train no. 13 to loosen.  The downward slope of the pocket track also caused the train to move on its own. At this time, trainset no. 18 was going towards Santolan station from Araneta Center-Cubao on the same track. The runaway train was reported via radio but eventually rear-ended train no. 13. The driver of one of the two trains was reported to have jumped out of his train before the collision, sustaining wounds and bruises.

Both trains involved were subsequently repaired and returned to service in September 2021.

See also 

 Korail Class 311000
 Korail Class 341000
 Korail Class 351000
 LRTA 1100 class
 PNR Hyundai Rotem DMU

Notes

References

Sources 
 

 

Manila Light Rail Transit System
Electric multiple units of the Philippines
Train-related introductions in 2003
1500 V DC multiple units
Hyundai Rotem multiple units