New glitch stops LRT Line 1 operations for second day

MANILA, Philippines -  The operation of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 was disrupted for the second day yesterday after the doors on a northbound train at the Carriedo station failed to close.

The LRT Authority (LRTA) said the door malfunction occurred at around 9:20 a.m. The doors failed to close despite the train operator’s repeated efforts to close them before starting the train’s run toward the next station.

Since the trains are interconnected, all trains at the line came to a standstill while technical personnel from the LRT’s maintenance contractor, Comm Builders and Technology Philippines, addressed the problem.

Normal line operations resumed at 9:45 a.m., the LRTA said.Thousands of passengers affected by the glitch either waited for the operation to resume or took jeepneys or taxis.

The LRT Line 1’s operation was disrupted for 10 minutes during Monday’s rush hour when a worn “solenoid valve” in the underbelly of a southbound train burned and emitted smoke, scaring hundreds of passengers at the UN Avenue station in Manila.

Four passengers were hurt in the stampede caused by the panic arising from the smoke in the train. LRTA sources said the trains in both incidents involved the first-generation, reconditioned Belgian trains commissioned when the LRT Line 1 started operating in 1980.