SLOW TRAIN TO NOWHERE? Queues at MRT3 grow longer after gov’t lowers speed limit

MANILA – The already long lines at the MRT3 during the morning rush have gotten longer after the government imposed a speed limit on its trains.

At around 8:30 a.m., the queue of commuters waiting to enter the North Avenue station has reached all the way down to the street level of Edsa.

Hernando Cabrera, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) spokesperson for the MRT3, said the government has reduced train speeds to 40 kilometers per hour (kph) from the previous 55-60 prevailing before the accident last August 13.

“Slow ang takbo ng mga trains, 40 kph lang kaya humaba pila at matagal loading,” Cabrera said.

“With 40 kph, it will lessen strain sa train motor and other systems, which in turn will lessen breakdown/tech problems. It will also directly add up sa safety,” he said.

“Normal standard speed will be imposed after the completion of the train and other systems rehabilitation,” he added.

With the reduced speed of the trains, travel time for the whole stretch of MRT3 –from North Avenue in Quezone City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City and vice versa– will increase.

“It used to be about 35 minutes end to end, with the slower speed, our projection is about 7 minutes additional travel time,” Cabrera said.

The government implemented a new speed policy after southbound train of the MRT3 crashed through the barrier of the Pasay terminal, hurting at least 38 people.

The worst in the MRT3 history, the accident stemmed from negligence on the part of the train service’s personnel, according to the investigation conducted by DOTC.

Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya had said that the train drivers did not follow the standard “coupling” procedure.

Autre Porte Technique Global Inc (APT Global) handles the one-year maintenance contract for MRT3, but its contract will expire this month. DOTC already is preparing the bid terms, with plans of providing for a three-year contract.

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. 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. –Darwin G. Amojelar, InterAksyon.com