2 hurt as MRT-3 suffers five breakdowns

Five breakdowns in one day.

Two passengers were hurt after a Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) train came to a sudden stop on Wednesday in what was the first of several breakdowns that affected the operations of Metro Manila’s busiest train line.

According to Cesar Chavez, Department of Transport (DOTr) undersecretary for rails, a 30-year-old woman and 68-year-old man suffered injuries when the onboard signaling system of a northbound train malfunctioned as it approached Shaw station at 7:13 a.m.

Chavez said the malfunction caused the automatic train protection system to kick in, prompting the train to stop.  This left the woman with gashes on her right arm and the elderly man with chest injuries. All the other passengers were asked to alight at the station.

The incident marked the beginning of a series of breakdowns on Wednesday. At 8:15 a.m., another northbound train encountered technical problems at the Magallanes station. Seven minutes later, a southbound train at the Boni station reported a similar problem, resulting in the off-loading of its passengers.

At 9:11 a.m., a northbound train also suffered a breakdown and had to unload its passengers at the Boni station. A fifth train broke down at Taft station at 2:06 p.m. just as it was about to leave the platform. –Jovic Yee