MRT now has 15 operational trains

MANILA, Philippines — As promised by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the troubled Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) had 15 trains up and running yesterday afternoon.

The rail line was closed from Wednesday to Sunday to allow for repairs. The DOTr said the target was to restore 47 train cars or 15 trains with two spare cars.

The last time that the MRT-3 had 15 trains running along its tracks was at around around 9 a.m. on Jan. 4.

The MRT-3 opened at around 5 a.m. yesterday with only eight trains operational and with six others “ready for insertion.”

As the day passed, up to 14 trains were driven along the tracks of the rail system.

By 2:10 p.m., the DOTr reported that 15 trains were running, with a six-minute waiting time between trains.

The MRT-3 encountered glitches, causing trains to be reduced to only six trains at one point and the waiting time lengthened to up to more than 10 minutes.