The Philippine National Railways received a budget through the 2018 General Appropriations Act for the purchase of trains.[3] On May 28, 2018, three INKA CC300 locomotives and fifteen passenger coaches were ordered together with four sets of four-car trains worth ₱2.5 billion (US$47.4 million).[4][5][6]
Delivery and commissioning
The INKA CC300 locomotives and INKA 8300 coaches were delivered on December 23, 2020, and were unveiled on the same day.[7] Passenger trial runs begun on January 15, 2021, for 150-hour RAMS validation tests,[8] while the trains were officially inaugurated on January 28, 2021, at Dela Rosa station together with the Philippine National Railways and the Department of Transportation officials. The trains officially entered revenue service on the same day.[1][2][9]
The trains once served the PNR Metro South Commuter line between Tutuban and Alabang and vice versa. These were subsequently assigned to Bicol Commuter services. As of August 2023, DHL 9002 and 3-car PC 8302 serve Naga–Ligao services, while DHL 9003 and PC 8303 serves the Naga–Sipocot route.
Design
The trains were manufactured by the Indonesian firm Industri Kereta Api, also known as INKA. The design were based on the middle coaches of the PNR 8000 class and 8100 class DMUs retaining the same specifications. The 8300 class coaches, along with the 8000 and 8100 DMUs are all given the designation K3 while in Indonesia.
Each car has one roof-mounted air-conditioning units that has a cooling capacity of 36,000 kcal (150,000 kJ). In total, there are five air-conditioning units in a five-car train set.[10]
Interior
There are three double-leaf sliding doors per side and longitudinal seats are used. The interior design is the same as the middle cars of the 8000 and 8100 DMUs. The middle coach has a control room where the doors, lighting, and passenger announcements are controlled.[1] Each car has closed-circuit television cameras installed.[9]