Power glitches disrupt LRT-2, MRT-3 operations

MANILA, Philippines – The operations of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) were disrupted by power supply problems yesterday.

The LRT-2’s trains stopped running at around 9:43 a.m. after lightning struck the rail line’s Gilmore station and power transformers at the J. Ruiz and Cubao stations “tripped and disrupted the system’s power supply,” said LRT-2 spokesman Hernando Cabrera.

LRT-2 operations resumed at around 10:11 a.m., he said.

At least 508 passengers were forced to walk along the railroad tracks between the MRT-3’s Ayala and Taft Avenue stations when a train stalled at around 10:17 a.m. due to a power supply problem.

Power was restored several minutes later. The rail line said bringing back power “was not risky” as electricity flowed along the overhead cables and not the railroad tracks.

The MRT-3 management has yet to determine what caused the power failure.