THE Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on Monday started the operation of four-car trains as it also kicked off a month-long free ride program following the completion of the line’s massive rehabilitation under the Duterte administration.
Two four-car trains were so far operational and run simultaneously with the three-car trains in the MRT-3’s revenue line.
In a statement, MRT-3 Officer-in-Charge General Manager Michael Capati said the four-car trains are scheduled to run during peak hours—beginning at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. respectively—and are meant to add to the MRT-3’s passenger capacity.
He noted that each Czech-made CKD train car of the MRT-3 is capable of carrying up to 394 passengers—1,182 passengers per three-car train or 1,576 per four-car train.
To date, he said an average of 18 to 22 trains—including four-car trains—are running at the MRT-3’s revenue line at any given time.
“That’s a far cry from when we had 10 to 15 trains running, and we had an all-time low of only six trains,” Capati said.
The MRT-3 recorded six running train sets on its mainline on May 24, 2015, an “all-time low” for the rail service and was attributed to the “poor maintenance” of the MRT-3’s previous maintenance provider.
He said 48 out of the 72 CKD train cars have so far been overhauled, ensuring that the MRT-3 has plenty of operational trains.
Through the recently completed “massive” rehabilitation of the MRT-3, he said its trains run faster and cooler after the installation of new air conditioning units.
During the inauguration of the rehabilitation of MRT-3 last week, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announced that the MRT-3 will be free to the public from March 28 to April 30 at all operating hours.
The free ride program, he said, is meant to ease the financial burden among passengers amid the rising prices of fuel and other commodities. (PNA)
