THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it would file cases against those found responsible if the agency could prove negligence caused the train collision on the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) on May 18.
Thirty passengers and four LRT-2 personnel were injured in the collision.
In a May 21 statement released to reporters, the DOTr said transportation secretary Arthur Tugade “vows to penalize individuals who will be found responsible for the cause of the train collision.” The secretary’s announcement was made during the Transport Talks press briefing on May 20, the DOTr said.
It added Tugade “wants clear and unequivocal answers on the reason behind the collision.”
“Ang gusto ko, alamin dapat kung ano ang nangyari at sabihin sa akin nang diretsahan [What I want is for authorities to find out what happened, then report the findings to me]: [Was] this an accident? [Was] this a freak accident? If so, say it and why? Was there negligence? If so, tell me so that I can run after those who committed negligence,” Tugade was quoted in the press briefing.
The transportation chief also pointed out the collision “served as a wake-up call to revisit the agency’s policies and procedures in operating the LRT-2,” the DOTr said.
A fact-finding committee was established May 19 by Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator Reynaldo Berroya to determine the cause of the collision.
Tugade reiterated the DOTr and the LRTA are “taking the incident seriously and exerting all efforts to prevent [its] recurrence,” according to the statement.
On May 18 a train parked on an inclined spot on the LRT-2’s pocket track — sections placed on the side or center of the rail line near or at a station — near Anonas station rolled and entered the track going to Cubao station. The train, which was undergoing maintenance work and was in “system off” mode, collided with another train coming from Cubao. The train coming from Cubao station was carrying passengers.
The LRTA control center instructed the driver of the train coming from Cubao station to immediately stop, the DOTr said.
The collision halted LRT-2 operations on May 18. These resumed at 12:13 p.m. the following day.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo on May 20 said President Rodrigo Duterte was aware of the collision, and “was waiting for the result of the investigation.”
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