Metrostar Express resumes operations

Metrostar Express resumed operations along its entire EDSA route Tuesday morning after the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced a temporary suspension on Monday night due to a fire that broke out at a bus depot of the Metro Manila Transit Corporation (MMTC).

The bus depot is adjacent to the train system's North Triangle Depot and the fire damaged one of its overhead electric power supply lines, disabling one of the two access trackways.

EDSA Project Director Mario Miranda said that DOTC Operations Center made the decision as a precautionary step to ensure the safety of train passengers commuting on the system during the heavy evening rush hour. All tickets were being refunded at Metrostar stations Monday night and DOTC personnel were assisting passengers who may have been inconvenienced by the temporary shutdown.

As of press time, fire officials were still investigating the cause of the fire which appears to have broken out among stacks of materials near shanty dwellings in the bus depot.

The fire affected overhead power cables servicing the access guideway leading from the main EDSA tracks of the Metrostar Express to the underground depot at North Triangle where the system's trains are parked and maintained at night.

MMTC vice president Paul Daza said that only one of the two trackways was affected and the train system could have continued operating, but a temporary suspension was decided upon to fully assess the damage and ensure the safety and comfort of passengers traveling on the Metrostar.