Weekday operations of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) have been officially extended by an hour, starting Monday, March 24, to accommodate more passengers traveling during the night.
“Officially starting today extended na po ang oras ng MRT-3. Today umpisa na ‘yun, tuloy-tuloy na ‘yun,” said Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon in a press briefing.
(Officially starting today, the extended operating hours of MRT-3 are officially in effect. It begins today and will continue moving forward.)
Under the new operating schedule, southbound stations will close after 10 p.m., while northbound stations will run until around 11:30 p.m.
Here is the updated schedule, courtesy of the Department of Transportation (DOTr):
Dizon likewise ordered the deployment of additional trains to service more passengers and eliminate long queues during the morning and evening rush hours.
He added that the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) will add one more train to its fleet to serve commuters affected by the ongoing transport strike.
One train can accommodate up to 1,300 passengers, he said.
Calls to extend the operating hours of MRT-3 have consistently been shut down under previous leaderships of the DOTr.
Under Dizon’s predecessor, former secretary Jaime Bautista, proposals to extend hours remained as mere proposals over concerns that they would compromise maintenance and repairs.
With these concerns in mind, Dizon said he had a thorough discussion with MRT-3 management and its maintenance provider, Japan-based Sumitomo Corp., to find a suitable solution.
What they agreed upon was to use the maintenance hours lost during weekdays on Saturday and Sunday instead.
Essentially, the regular end of operations during weekends will remain, but the opening time is expected to start later, with additional details to be divulged later this week.
“Titignan natin ang epekto niyan sa maintenance, pero, base naman sa pag-uusap namin ng ating maintenance operator, mukhang kakayanin naman,” said Dizon.
(We will monitor its impact on maintenance, but based on our discussions with our maintenance operator, it looks manageable.)
“We would keep that as is kasi malaking bagay ‘yan lalong lalo na sa mga kababayan natin na ginagabi,” he stressed.
(We will maintain this setup because it’s a big help, especially for our countrymen who travel late at night.)
The DOTr chief added that he will hold a dialogue with the management of LRT-1 regarding the extension of its operating hours.