48 new trains to ease MRT woes

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino assured the riding public yesterday that Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) services would considerably improve with the expected arrival of 48 additional coaches, with each train towing more coaches to accommodate more passengers.

He said long-term plans would be implemented so the public transport system would truly be useful and convenient for  commuters and motorists.

In his “agenda-setting dialogue with partners” where he called for continued support, Aquino said the government is aware of the problems being faced by the public and solutions were at hand.

In the dialogue, Aquino mentioned the MRT-3 should have undergone a general overhaul after it was built in 1999.

“A general overhaul should have been undertaken every eight years to ensure the system runs smoothly. In 2006, only a slight overhaul took place. What’s more, their data on what had been and had yet to be repaired was lacking or missing, so a new analysis was needed in order to determine what needed to be done,” he said.

Currently, the process was ongoing for widespread and systematic improvements of the MRT system, he said.

Aquino said everyone is expecting the arrival of the new coaches and longer trains to accommodate the increasing number of passengers in the commuter train system.

He said the power system will also be upgraded since the new trains will be consuming more electricity.

“The new signal system will also be fixed, in order to ensure speedier arrivals at the station and safer journeys,” Aquino said.

“What this means: More commuters will be able to ride the train every day, and train congestion will be eased. We are undertaking all of this simultaneously, along with other necessities like an Automatic Fare Collection System, which will lessen the amount of time commuters spend in line.”

Aquino said it had been promised to them that by next year, it would be 50 percent operational.

Queuing spaces will also be widened, so even if there is need to line up it will be more convenient, and rail tracks will be repaired to ensure safety, the President promised.

“Like you, I also wish that all this had been done long ago. But no plans were left to us, so we had to undertake studies. Of course, we needed to find and collect funds for this. All of these are going through the proper processes under the law,” he said.

Merely purchasing the equipment will already take four to six months, Aquino said as he expressed hope everybody would understand that “we need time to implement this, that when all this is over, we will have an improved public transport system.” – With Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero