MRT sets speed limit for trains

MANILA, Philippines - The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) has set a speed limit for its 15-year-old trains to prevent them from stalling, an official said yesterday.

Hernando Cabrera, Light Rail Transit Authority corporate secretary and spokesperson for MRT and LRT affairs, said the 40-kilometer per hour (kph) speed limit was imposed last Wednesday when the Department of Transportation and Communications and the LRTA reviewed the results of the investigation on the train accident at the rail line on Aug. 13.

“It’s a safety measure mainly to lessen the strain on our trains. When we lessen the strain on our trains, we prevent the cases of the trains stalling and situations that may result in accidents,” Cabrera told The STAR in a phone interview.

Cabrera said the MRT trains used to run at a speed ranging from 55 to 60 kph. The lower speed means that it takes one train one hour and 25 minutes to complete the rail line’s loop, 15 minutes longer than before.

He admitted that the 40-kph speed limit could aggravate the congestion at the stations, but said it was necessary to ensure passenger safety. “Our trains are overloaded. That’s why they stall,” he said.