DOTr Acting Sec. Giovanni Lopez. Photo courtesy of Connie Calipay/ Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Amidst allegations that the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) is operating under risky conditions, Department of Transportation (DoTr) secretary Atty. Giovanni ‘Banoy’ Lopez assured the riding public of the MRT’s safety, given the strict technical evaluations the train undergoes on a routine basis.
In a statement, Lopez rejected the allegations of Kamanggagawa party-list representative Eli San Fernando and even some MRT employees who cited that it is not safe to ride the rail line’s four-car train as the systems in place were only made for three-car trains.
In a video addressed to the DoTr last week on Friday, March 13, San Fernando spoke to members of the MRT-3 Employees Association and in the meeting, it was explained that the four-car trains at the MRT were not safe for boarding by passengers due to a deficiency in design and system.
However, the DoTr downplayed the concern issued by San Fernando and the train staff even as the sectoral lawmaker accused MRT-3 general manager Mike Capati of sweeping the matter under the rug.
“The system to make the running of the train safe currently fits the tree-car (trains). But what General Manager Capati is doing is to run four cars,” the solon stated in a video with train employees, where they revealed that six four-car trains are being run every weekday even though “the signaling systems were not built for the four-car trains.”
The employees also observed that the newly-procured Dalian trains are not yet ready because of undertrained drivers.
The MRT’s Training Section head, Engr. Luis Saman Jr., noted that “because in (Dalian trains), they really can’t be used (yet) for revenue operations because first of all, there is no complete training for that (and) then, we still haven’t tested it with eight weeks of training. ”
In response, though, the DoTr disputed that the allegations were untrue, insisting that the signaling system for the railways has passed the assessment of French rail consultant firm SYSTRA and it “can support four-car trains that run from North Avenue to Taft Avenue.”
“The Dalian trains can not operate without passing assessments and we continues to coordinate with drivers to “ensure their operational readiness, and safety preparedness,” Secretary Lopez pointed out.
In ending, he urged everyone not to make an issue out of the railways, especially amid the price hilke on oil, as commuters and vehicle owners should be encouraged to use (the) rail lines to save on fuel.
“Now is not the time for politics. The severe crisis facing the entire world is no joke, so we should help the people especially the commuters,” he concluded.
