By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
MANILA – Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon saw shorter queues at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) following the deployment of three four-car trains during peak hours of the rail line.
Dizon made the observation during an inspection of the MRT-3 with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda and MRT-3 General Manager Michael Capati on Monday.
“Ito ay tugon ng DOTr sa utos ng Pangulo na pagaanin ang araw-araw na pagbabyahe ng ating mga komyuter. Maliban sa daloy ng mga pasahero papasok at palabas ng train stations at waiting time sa bawat estasyon (This the DOTr’s response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to ease the daily commute of passengers. This is in addition to improving the flow of passengers in and out of train stations and reducing waiting times),” he said.
In addition, the DOTr and MRT-3 are studying the adoption of a cashless payment system to purchase single-journey tickets.
The MRT-3 began the deployment of the four-car trains on Monday, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., to address the increased demand during rush hours.
The MRT-3 also has 16 other trains that will retain the current three-car configuration.
Each train car can carry up to 394 passengers, with the four-car train capable of accommodating up to 1,576 passengers.
The deployment of four-car trains during peak hours comes after the MRT-3 completed Holy Week maintenance, during which all of the line’s subsystems underwent annual preventive maintenance for their safe and orderly operation.
In March, the MRT-3 also extended its evening operating hours by at least one hour during weekdays following Dizon’s inspection at the MRT-3 and conversations with commuters. (PNA)
