By Hanah Tabios
After a series of glitches in the country’s transport system, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Metro Manila is now facing a mass transport crisis.
Thousands of commuters queue up along EDSA at the MRT North Avenue station as they take chance to hop in passenger buses. (PHOTO / ALVIN KASIBAN / MANILA BULLETIN)
“There are not enough trains to ferry commuters to work and school. Of the limited trains that we do have, ALL THREE suffered glitches last week. The LRT 1, LRT 2 and MRT 3 all experienced technical issues that disrupted operations,” Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes said in a statement on Monday.
“I cannot remember a time when all three had glitches in the same week”, he added in total despair.
Just last Wednesday, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) had to unload around 500 passengers and asked them to walk on the tracks between the Ayala and Magallanes stations due to a power glitch. The incident marked the 19th recorded glitch of MRT-3 since January.
The next day, October 3, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) had also halted its operations from Monumento to Roosevelt station due to mechanical issues which caused a heavy volume of passengers in other LRT-1 stations.
The recent case was just on October 4 where the LRT management decided to shutdown train stations from Santolan to Anonas for around nine months after a power rectifier tripped and caught a huge fire in between Katipunan and Anonas stations last Thursday. The incident resulted to a heavy traffic build up in the area. In fact, majority of passengers took their disappointment on social media, citing their struggles on their daily commute after its temporary shutdown.
“The most serious situation now is the LRT 2. The repairs from the Santolan to Anonas stations will require 9 months. Today, the LRT 2 did not operate, thus affecting thousands of commuters bound for Manila,” Reyes stressed.
Despite the aid from the transport agencies and concerned local government units, he said that the recent incidents should already lead for a legislative investigation.
“Shouldn't this be examined during the budget hearings as there are government agencies involved? When will the Senate look into these issues?”, he said.
“Tanong ng commuters, may plano ba talaga para sa pagpapaunlad ng mass transport system sa bansa, sa balangkas ng serbisyo hindi negosyo? O depende pa rin ito sa pabago-bago ng administrasyon at kagustuhang mag-negosyo ng ilan?,” he added.
Thousands of commuters queue up along EDSA at the MRT North Avenue station as they take chance to hop in passenger buses. (PHOTO / ALVIN KASIBAN / MANILA BULLETIN)
“There are not enough trains to ferry commuters to work and school. Of the limited trains that we do have, ALL THREE suffered glitches last week. The LRT 1, LRT 2 and MRT 3 all experienced technical issues that disrupted operations,” Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes said in a statement on Monday.
“I cannot remember a time when all three had glitches in the same week”, he added in total despair.
Just last Wednesday, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) had to unload around 500 passengers and asked them to walk on the tracks between the Ayala and Magallanes stations due to a power glitch. The incident marked the 19th recorded glitch of MRT-3 since January.
The next day, October 3, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) had also halted its operations from Monumento to Roosevelt station due to mechanical issues which caused a heavy volume of passengers in other LRT-1 stations.
The recent case was just on October 4 where the LRT management decided to shutdown train stations from Santolan to Anonas for around nine months after a power rectifier tripped and caught a huge fire in between Katipunan and Anonas stations last Thursday. The incident resulted to a heavy traffic build up in the area. In fact, majority of passengers took their disappointment on social media, citing their struggles on their daily commute after its temporary shutdown.
“The most serious situation now is the LRT 2. The repairs from the Santolan to Anonas stations will require 9 months. Today, the LRT 2 did not operate, thus affecting thousands of commuters bound for Manila,” Reyes stressed.
Despite the aid from the transport agencies and concerned local government units, he said that the recent incidents should already lead for a legislative investigation.
“Shouldn't this be examined during the budget hearings as there are government agencies involved? When will the Senate look into these issues?”, he said.
“Tanong ng commuters, may plano ba talaga para sa pagpapaunlad ng mass transport system sa bansa, sa balangkas ng serbisyo hindi negosyo? O depende pa rin ito sa pabago-bago ng administrasyon at kagustuhang mag-negosyo ng ilan?,” he added.