Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday said passenger queues along the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) have shortened following the deployment of longer trains during rush hours.
Dizon made the remark during an inspection of the MRT-3 with Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda and MRT-3 General Manager Michael Capati.
“This is the DOTr’s response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to ease the daily commute of passengers,” Dizon said. “This is in addition to improving the flow of passengers in and out of train stations and reducing waiting times.”
Starting Monday, the MRT-3 began running three four-car trains from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., aiming to accommodate more passengers during peak hours. The line also continues to operate 16 three-car trains for the rest of the day.
Each car can carry up to 394 passengers, allowing the four-car configuration to hold as many as 1,576 riders.
Dizon said the Department of Transportation and MRT-3 are also studying the implementation of a cashless payment system for single-journey tickets to further ease station congestion.
The move follows the completion of Holy Week maintenance activities, during which all subsystems of the MRT-3 underwent preventive checks to ensure safe and efficient operations.
In March, the MRT-3 also extended its weekday evening operating hours after Dizon’s earlier inspection and talks with commuters.