For the first time in 20 years, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) management set anew a record-high number of trains deployed on its mainline in hopes of boosting the passenger capacity of the railway system.
In an announcement on Tuesday, the management said a total of 22 train sets have been fielded in the rail line on Monday night "for the first time in history," breaking the earlier record of 21 train sets last September 16.
"The increase of running train sets is a main priority of the DOTr and MRT-3 to give our passengers the best and most efficient service they can experience. This is also a testament of Secretary Arthur Tugade's genuine commitment to provide high-quality service for the riding public," MRT-3 Director for Operations Michael Capati said.
Through this, the management said that waiting time interval can be reduced between trains and increase the rail line's passenger capacity.
According to Capati, the increase in the deployed number of train sets is a "timely boost" as the public demands higher number of public transportation while many workers continued to go back to their workplaces amid the pandemic.
The MRT-3 official bared that the railway managed to deploy another record-high number of train sets as a result of better maintenance of light rail vehicles (LRVs) and new rails being installed along its mainline.
"The passengers can expect better MRT-3 experience once the massive rehabilitation is finished in July 2021. New rails are being installed as part of the rail rehabilitation project and LRVs are being overhauled which can be added to the mainline," Capati added.
Meanwhile, no unloading incident was also recorded in the MRT-3 for the past three months or since government allowed the resumption of public transportation operations at a limited capacity under a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) on June 1.
The last unloading incident prior to the enforcement of community quarantine was recorded on March 8, the MRT-3 said.
To ensure safety of passengers and staff of the railway, the MRT-3 assured that health protocols are being strictly enforced inside the train such as observing the one-meter physical distancing rule, and the mandatory wearing of face shield and face mask.
The management also continues to implement a no eating, no talking, and no answering of calls policy in a bid to further reduce the droplets expelled to curb the transmission of the virus.