TWO MRT coaches from a train going north became unlinked and had to stop at the Buendia station during rush hour Thursday, the first day of work after a long holiday for the Asean Summit.
“Around 130 to 140 passengers were evacuated by the combined security guards from Buendia and Ayala Station,” Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Cesar Chavez said.
Passengers walking on the tracks were guided back to the Ayala Station platform, and no one was reported hurt, Chavez said.
Minutes earlier, passengers were asked to get off a southbound train at 8:57 a.m. because of a technical problem.
Just two days earlier, a woman who felt dizzy fell onto the tracks and her right arm was severed at the Ayala Station, raising more safety concerns.
Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said the Transportation Department should decide immediately if it needs to temporarily shut down the MRT 3 to fix the system’s many problems.
“If there is a need to stop the operation of the MRT, they should say so. They should have the guts to speak up because the people will be angry since many will be burdened. But the most important thing is their safety,” Poe said.
In the event of a shutdown, the department must come up with a way to service the thousands of passengers who use the train system.
Poe issued the statement in the wake of reports that a train carrying hundreds of passengers was detached while traveling from Ayala Station to Buendia.
“What they should do is ensure that commuters are safe. Now, whether there is a need to stop operation, although we know that almost 590,000 commuters will be affected, but if we will think of those who sill lost their lives due to negligence, we can take this,” Poe said.
The senator said the daily glitches and technical problems are but symptoms of larger problems waiting to happen.
Senator JV Ejercito said the department should consider bringing back Sumitomo Corp. to handle the system’s maintenance.
“From the time it started operating in 1998 …we have not heard about any major glitches and malfunctions when Sumitomo was the maintenance provider,” Ejercito said.
“A reputable Japanese company like Sumitomo will not allow itself, or its image, to be tarnished…so we’d be more confident if Sumitomo is brought back.”
On Nov. 6, the Transportation Department announced that it had terminated the contract with Busan Universal Railways Inc. because of the company’s poor performance.