MRT-3 ready to take in passengers as EDSA bus carousel undergoes 5-day repair

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation and Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 are ready to accommodate affected commuters as portions of the EDSA Bus Carousel are set for "emergency repairs" starting Friday night.

This comes after the Department of Public Works and Highways announced the closing of the said service from Balintawak to Buendia Ave. starting 10 p.m on Friday. Operations are set to resume by 5 a.m. of August 9.

"Motorists and commuters who will be affected by the one-time, big-time emergency repair are expected to take the trains to avoid the expected traffic build-up at EDSA," according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority acting chairperson Don Artes on Friday.

"[Transportation Underseretary for Railways Cesar] Chavez assured that the MRT is ready for the anticipated influx."

The emergency repair is said to be due to the damages caused by previous typhoons and ongoing effectts of the monsoon rains within the National Capital Region.

The MMDA is set to implement a traffic management plan and deploy 650 traffic enforcers to manage the traffic flow along EDSA and guide motorists and commuters that will be affected.

Once completed, DPWH-NCR will immediately open the closed portions of the bus lane for the immediate use of the public.

Motorists are currently being advised by the MMDA to take alternate routes starting tonight to avoid inconvenience in connection to the said repairs.

Additional MRT-3 'when necessary'

Assistant Secretary for Railways and MRT-3 officer-in-charge Jorjette Aquino earlier today said that the train line had already completed its general overhaul of 72 light rail vehicles in November 2022, making 24 train sets available and operations.

"With 24 train sets available, we can deploy additional two or three more train sets when necessary to accommodate 450,000 to 500,000 ridership," said Aquino.

"Our trains are running at improved speeds of 60 kilometers per hour with headway (train intervals) of only four minutes."

With around 18 train sets running during peak hours, the MRT-3 has increased its ridership to 10 million monthly. This is a noticeable improvement from the 5 million last 2021 and 8 million in 2022.

The MRT-3's daily average ridership is currently from 375,000 to 400,000 daily.