Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT3) General Manager Oscar Bongon has been removed from his position following an escalator malfunction at the Taft Avenue Station that injured at least 10 passengers on March 8.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed in an interview with Radio Pilipinas the removal of Oscar Bongon as MRT3 chief and stated that he has already recommended a replacement.
“Let’s just wait for the paperwork to be submitted to the Office of the President so that it becomes official. I have already recommended someone, it is still up to our President whether he will appoint that person,” he added.
“I just think we really need some changes in our agencies, especially those that directly affect the daily lives of our countrymen,” he added.
Dizon also announced that MRT3 operations would be extended by at least one hour, from the current 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm.
On Monday, Dizon inspected MRT-3 stations in Taft, Ayala, and Shaw Boulevard, where he spoke with commuters about their experiences and suggestions for improving the MRT-3 service.
He assured the public that the DOTr’s top priority is to expedite passenger queues on trains and improve the orderliness of boarding and alighting.
Dizon also said that immediate action will be taken to install lighting in dimly lit station areas and construct covered walkways connecting train stations to other transport modes like buses and jeepneys.
The DOTr earlier said it was eyeing to privatize the operations and management of MRT 3 after as the build-lease-transfer (BLT) agreement between the government and Metro Rail Transit Corp. is set to expire this year.
The government operates MRT 3, while the MRTC, owned by Metro Rail Transit Holdings II Inc. led by businessman Robert John Sobrepeña, is responsible for the design and construction of the EDSA rail transit system.
Formed in 1995, MRTC started building MRT 3 in October 1996, completed it in December 1999 and started full operations in July 2020.
MRTC and the government through the Department of Transportation and Communications signed the BLT agreement to construct and maintain MRT 3.
MRTC financed the construction of the modern rail system stretching along EDSA’s 10.5-meter median from North Ave. in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City. The company infused P4.49 billion worth of equity into the project.
The train system is designed to carry in excess of 23,000 passengers per hour per direction, initially, and is expandable to accommodate 48,000 passengers per hour, per direction.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Dizon: MRT-3 operations to be extended under new GM.”