Smoke from LRT train brake causes panic; 4 hurt

MANILA, Philippines - Four people were hurt when smoke wafting from a Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 train caused hundreds of passengers to panic during the morning rush hour yesterday.

LRT Authority (LRTA) administrator Rafael Rodriguez said the smoke that rose from the base of a southbound train approaching the line’s UN Avenue station at around 8:45 a.m. was found to have come from a worn “solenoid valve” in the train’s chassis.

The sight of the smoke prompted some passengers of the packed train to press the emergency stop button, but when there was a delay in the opening of the automated doors, a number of male passengers used their feet and bare fists to smash windows on the side facing the platform in a bid to get out.

When the automated doors did open after “a few minutes,” the passengers rushed to get out of the train. Caroline Santos, 22,; Jericho Tolentino, 32; Pauline Anne Basco, 13; and Danille Patrcia Basco, 15, were hurt in the stampede and treated at the LRT clinic at the Central station.

The incident stopped the entire line for about 10 minutes, the LRTA said.

After thorough checking of all the underbodies and internal components of the train’s coaches, the LRTA’s engineering and maintenance team found out that there was a burnt solenoid valve, which emitted a smell similar to that of a car’s “burnt disc pad.” The agency said the problem was a result of “wear and tear.”

The LRT Line 1 is maintained by contractor Comm Builders and Technology Philippines, the LRTA said.

Last week, the operation of the EDSA-bound Metro Rail Transit (LRT) 3 was disrupted, also on a Monday morning rush hour, when a coach delinked from a three-car train due to a problem with its coupler link. No one was hurt in the incident.