MRT3 passenger traffic exceeds capacity by 60 pct

MANILA – Ever wonder why the MRT3 is so congested especially during rush hour?

Well, that’s because ridership has exceeded the train service’s rated capacity by about 60 percent, according to the Metro Rail Transit Authority (MRTA).

“Our average ridership is about 470, 000 a day. But during this week it rose to more than 550,000 a day. In fact yesterday it was 557,000,” Al Vitangcol III, MRTA general manager told Interaksyon.com.

MRT3, which runs from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, serves nearly 500,000 passengers per day, or way beyond its rated capacity of about 350,000.

Vitangcol blamed the long lines of passengers at MRT stations on the “lack of additional trains.”

“It’s the sheer volume of passengers which our trains can’t accommodate easily,” he said.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) however has already completed the procurement of 48 new coaches for MRT3, Vitangcol said.

“However, delivery time will take around two years. So, we have to be patient until such time,” he said.

Earlier, the DOTC issued a notice of award to Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co CNR Group for the P3.7 billion MRT3 capacity expansion. The Chinese company proposed to undertake the project at a cost of P3.759 billion.

At present, the rail system has a fleet of 73 Czech-made rail cars, of which up to 60 three-car trains operate daily.

The trains run at a maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour to cover the rail system’s 13 stations in about 30 minutes, including short dwell times of about 25-35 seconds in each station.

Last December, MRTA implemented a crowd control policy wherein only 500 people are allowed to ride the train during peak hours, causing passenger complaints because of long lines.

This is similar to the Light Rail Transit Line 1 policy, which limits passengers per platform to between 50-300 in any station from Roosevelt to Doroteo Jose during 6-10 a.m., and from Baclaran to Carriedo from 4-8 p.m. –Darwin G. Amojelar, InterAksyon.com