Flooded tracks halt MRT; signal woes bug LRT 1

MANILA, Philippines - Operation of the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT 3) was again disrupted yesterday afternoon due to flooded tracks between the Buendia and Ayala stations, while the Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT 1) stalled.

The standby water pump used to siphon floodwater at the MRT rail tracks also broke down, preventing remedial measures that would have allowed operations to continue.

MRT and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) spokesman Hernando Cabrera said the MRT management suspended operations at the southern half of the line from the south end station of EDSA-Taft in Pasay to Shaw Boulevard station in Mandaluyong at 2:05 p.m.

Only the northern half of the line, from the north end station of North Avenue in Quezon City to Shaw Boulevard, was open to passengers.

The suspension of operation occurred at the start of the afternoon rush hour, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and fuming mad at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), LRTA and even Malacañang.

Swarms of irate MRT passengers were forced to take the bus, resulting in spillover crowds at bus stops and MRT stations at Taft Avenue, Magallanes, Ayala, Buendia and Guadalupe, and worsening the traffic along EDSA.

Full line MRT operation was restored at 4:36 p.m.

LRT 1 passengers, on the other hand, were asked to disembark on the northbound portion of Pedro Gil station in Manila at around 11:05 a.m. “due to the train’s faulty signaling system,” Cabrera said.

But he said operation of the LRT was not disrupted as the train with problematic signaling system just had to go back to the depot.

Yesterday’s glitches were the latest in a series of breakdowns of the MRT and LRT.

Last Saturday, the operation of the MRT was also suspended due to failure of its communications system. The line’s control center could not give instructions to train operators.

On Aug. 13, a defective MRT train slammed through a barrier in Taft Avenue, injuring at least 36 passengers, damaging vehicles and causing heavy traffic in the area.

Amid service disruptions affecting the MRT, a systems audit of the 15-year-old line is being undertaken by the operator of Hong Kong’s mass transit railway. The first meeting with the MTR experts was held yesterday.

Cabrera said communications, signaling and asset management experts from MTR are in the country for the audit.

“We expect the systems audit to take 52 days, including preparation of the report,” he said.

Cabrera also said more technical experts are expected to arrive next week.

The MRT carries about 500,000 passengers per day, well over its 350,000 capacity. – With Rainier Allan Ronda