Our trains

How was a supposedly “dead” and sidelined coach at the LRT-2 able to suddenly “come alive” on its own, run the tracks and collide head-on with an operational train? This is the explanation, for now, from officials regarding the collision of the two LRT-2 trains. The dead train was parked on a side track when it suddenly started moving on its own. It proceeded on to the live track where an operational train had to stop between the Anonas and Cubao stations and brace for impact. As of this writing, 34 people are confirmed to have been hurt. Thankfully no fatalities occurred. Most of the injured have already been sent home.

This is the first collision incident for the LRT-2. Investigations are ongoing. I am not familiar with how trains operate, but my theory is that when the train malfunctioned, the throttle or whatever it is that makes the train run was not returned to the “stop” position.

There was no “dead man’s switch” where the throttle would automatically return to the stop position in the absence of a human hand. When whatever malfunction corrected itself, the train started running on its own. Because of this accident, two trains are now out of commission. The results of the investigation should be released immediately to prevent a repeat of the incident. The LRT-2 has always been seen as the better of all three train lines in Metro Manila.

Since we are on the topic of trains, what's the latest news about the Dalian trains? Last mid-April, a foreign vlogger uploaded a video showing off the refurbished Dalian coaches. As he walked the inside of the coaches, he states how cool the air conditioning was – a very important detail in this hot weather. The operator's station was shown, featuring more convenient features such as pre-recorded announcements for each station.

A space for wheelchair-bound passengers is available, complete with a seatbelt. There is a fire extinguisher next to each door. The warehouse shows spare parts in crates readily available, should there be a need for them. The train shown had more than 6,000 kilometers on its mileage. In other words, they should be ready for public use. When the video was made, the vlogger claimed that then trains would roll out in a week.

It has been one month since that video, and still no rollout of the Dalian trains. These trains have been refurbished and evaluated for three years, even by a third party, and yet a formal rollout has not happened.

But if the vlogger has been given permission by no less than the LRT administrator to show off the trains, what is the reason for the delay? Is there another issue? We have heard how the Dalian trains are fit for operation several times, and yet they have not been used. I wonder if the rumors are true.