Rain inside train: Water leaks from MRT ceiling

MANILA, Philippines — Commuters of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) were forced to use their umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain while in a southbound train along EDSA on Tuesday afternoon. 

In a video posted by Facebook user Giselle Visitacion Tolosa, water poured from the ceiling of the coach designated for women, children,  elderly and persons with disability.

Tolosa said the incident happened between the MRT Boni station in Mandaluyong and Taft Avenue in Pasay.

She said the passengers were dismayed by the incident, but still managed to make fun of it.

“We were not informed, may falls na pala sa MRT,” Tolosa told The STAR.

The video was viewed more than 654,000 times and shared by 10,000 netizens since it was posted on Tuesday. 

Facebook user Edgar Calbin Go said this is one of the reasons why most Filipinos prefer to use their cars amid traffic jams instead of taking the MRT.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and MRT management apologized yesterday over the water leak in one of its trains.

“We apologize for the inconvenience brought to commuters by a leak from an air-conditioning unit,” Goddes Libiran, communications director of the DOTr, said.

Libiran blamed the leak to a decade-old air-conditioning unit.

“The MRT’s air-conditioning units were last replaced in 2008 as part of a general overhaul,” she said.

Libiran said the defective air-conditoner was brought to the MRT depot in Quezon City for repair.

She said 42 of the 78 air-conditioning units procured by the DOTr for P116.5 million are set to arrive this month.