The Philippine National Railways on Tuesday suspended its Metro Manila train operations to make way for a thorough inspection of tracks and ensure that trains are travel-worthy and its passengers are safe.
following the suspension of operations. DANNY PATA
PNR’s move came a week after one of its trains going to Muntinlupa City derailed between the stations of Magallanes in Makati City and Nichols in Taguig City, resulting in the injury to at least 30 passengers.
“Operations of the commuter line shall resume as soon as extensive inspections and assessments have been made and the integrity of the rail tracks has been certified safe and sound for its trains to pass and passenger-safety is assured,” said lawyer Diosdado Silva, PNR assistant general manager.
Silva said the PNR management appealed to commuters to bear with the temporary inconvenience.
The 28 kilometer-long (Tutuban-Alabang-Laguna) line system, one of the alternative modes of transportation for students and low wage earners, carries 60,000-70,000 passengers daily.
Before suspending its operation, the PNR reduced the number of daily trips, which resulted in the overcrowding on Monday.
The system’s operator deployed 44 daily trips instead of 52 after one of its trains was pulled out from the operating fleet because of the derailment last Wednesday.
Jo Geronimo of the PNR Department for Operations, said they had to cancel eight trips due to absence of a spare train.
Southbound Train 1507 was carrying about 300 passengers when the derailment took placed around 4 p.m. Wednesday last week. Its front and middle coaches were reportedly tilted between 45 and 60 degrees while the last coach remained on track.
PNR officials said they found two possible angles which could be the reasons for the derailment—pilferage of the rail’s fastening system and rail expansion due to heat.
They did not discount the possibility that informal settlers residing near the railroad stole track materials and sold these for profit.
But members of the Train Riders Network (TREN) said gross negligence on the part of the PNR and the Department of Transportation and Communication caused the train to derail.
TREN spokesman James Relativo said the line receives very minimal investment and subsidies from the national government. He added most of the funds barely cover the operation of the line, leaving nothing for expansion, modernization and rehabilitation.
“Lack of government funding and continued neglect resulted in the deteriorating quality of services, overcrowding of coaches, and a plethora of safety issues. What is apparent, however, is the state’s abandonment of their obligation and the contribution of privatization to the incident,” Relativo said.
The derailment last Wednesday was not the first time to happen involving PNR train. In August last year, a southbound train also derailed between the stations of Espana and Sta. Mesa in Manila. No one was hurt in the incident.
PNR also operates the Bicol railway system, which is presently under rehabilitation in preparation for the resumption of the Bicol Express run to Naga City in Camarines Sur province, and eventually to the southern terminal in Legazpi City in Albay.