Authorities of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) have blamed “overloading” for the frequent malfunctioning of their trains.
LRT Administration (LRTA) spokesman lawyer Hernando Cabrera said overloading causes LRT and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) trains to break down, especially during rush hours.
“Sa peak hour overloaded tayo… kaya ng sistema pero kung bugbog na bugbog na doon nasisira ang spare parts at components,” Cabrera said.
Last Wednesday, an LRT-2 train on C.M. Recto Avenue in Manila suffered an engine problem — an air leak — forcing train authorities to ask the passengers to get down the train.
“Dulot ito ng aberya mga 7:14 a.m., (ang) tren sa Recto pabalik ng Santolan, nagkaroon ng air leak, sumingaw ang pressure valve at ayaw umandar,” Cabrera said in an interview on dzBB radio.
He added the train was heading toward the Santolan station when the incident occurred.
While the engine problem was quickly fixed in six minutes, the train’s brakes malfunctioned, forcing the LRTA to bring the train to the depot on V. Mapa in Sta. Mesa.
Although the second “glitch” was fixed at 7:45 a.m., Cabrera said the incident had caused an “exponential” delay because the schedules of the other trains behind the affected train were affected. –Jason Faustino, Daily Tribune
