LRT-1 trips delayed by power glitch

MANILA, Philippines - Commuters were stranded at Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) stations during yesterday morning’s rush hour after a power shortage delayed train trips.

Electricity transformers near the LRT-1 depot in Pasay City exploded following heavy rains, LRT-1 operations director Rodrigo Bulario said.

With a limited source of power, the trains ran every 15 minutes instead of every three minutes, he added. The LRT-1 starts operating at 5 a.m. each day.

Only 13 out of the LRT-1’s 28 trains were able to run on backup power.

Bulario said they had to use a rectifier as an additional source of power until the transformers were repaired at around 7 a.m.

The LRT-1 announced on its Twitter account,  @officialLRT1, that all 28 trains – pulling 87 light rail vehicles – were running at a safe speed of 40 kilometers per hour and at four-minute intervals by around 7 a.m.