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Friday, March 29, 2024

Busan not negligent in MRT3 operation

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Busan Universal Rail Inc. said it is not “remiss” in operating the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 amid reports of service disruptions in the system.

“The recent incident at MRT3 was a result of its aging condition that has needed a total rehabilitation for some time now,” Busan Universal said over the weekend.

“It is unfair to continuously put the blame on the maintenance service provider—for every incidence of train stoppage—that are generally and more often caused by the system’s current condition,” it added.

Busan made the statement after the Transportation Department threatened to partially terminate its contract due to a series of service disruptions at MRT3.

The Transportation Department cited 116 unloading incidents at MRT3 due to technical problems from January to April 19 this year. 

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The department noted 586 unloading incidents in 2016. 

“Given the age of the system, which is nearly 20 years, breakdowns and temporary shutdowns are to be expected even with regular and proper maintenance and calibration,” Busan Universal said.

“Together with the MRT management and its engineers, we are currently investigating the cause of the latest incident and will revert our joint findings as soon as necessary. As a matter of fact, train removals and other such incidents have been a regular occurrence since day 1 of MRT 3,” it added.

Busan also said it did more than what was specified in its contract of services despite the present old conditions of the MRT trains, citing a the delivery of more trains from 13 to 21 as of today.

“We have carried out rail grinding of the entire mainline (68 kilometers) as part of its contract,” BURI said.

The company restored an average of two to three cars every month since its contract started in January, fielding up to 21 trains (consisting of three cars each) during peak periods. 

MRT-3 now carries an average of over 420,000 passengers daily, with monthly ridership climbing from 9.8 million in January to 12.2 million by October, also the result of Busan Universal’s improved maintenance service.

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