MRT 3 extends operating hours to help relieve traffic congestion

To better serve the commuting public, the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) will extend its operating hours starting this week. From the current 05:30 to 22:30, the MRT-3 will run from 04:30 at North Avenue Station and starting 05:00 at the Taft Avenue Station, starting February 24. The Department of Transportation and Communication will later decide whether to make the longer schedule permanent.

According to the DOTC, “after the four-week testing period, the MRT-3 Office will make its recommendation [to the transportation department] on whether the extended operating hours may be regularized, based on its impact on commuters, daily train maintenance requirements and the additional cost of operation.”

“Our limitations are on maintenance and costs. For maintenance, the coaches have to be checked every night to ensure safety,” DOTC spokesman Michael Sagcal said.

“It seems that we will be able to shorten the turnover process without compromising actual maintenance hours. As for costs, the testing period will allow us to project how much more we need to spend to make it sustainable over time,” he added.

Sagcal said the DOTC was always looking for ways to serve the public better. “We want to deliver convenient, efficient and safe transportation options, especially with the government’s push to improve infrastructure over the next few years,” he stressed.

The DOTC previously announced that the Philippine National Railways would begin its Special Coach service to ply the Tutuban to Sta. Rosa route as another mitigating step to help ease traffic. Together with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Authority, it was also finalizing options through which LRT Lines 1 and 2 could accommodate more travelers who would be affected by the various construction works in Metro Manila.