Metro Rail Transit 3 (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ EDWIN BACASMAS)
MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 has announced that for the first time in its 20-year history, it was able to deploy 21 trains on on Wednesday.
In a statement on Thursday, MRT-3 said the 21 fielded train sets is a record-high.
With the 21 trains deployed, it allows the MRT-3 to “to shorten the waiting time interval between trains, and enables the rail line to increase its passenger capacity.”
MRT-3 deployed 20 trains last Monday, Sept. 14.
On the average, the number of trains deployed at the MRT-3 mainline is 15.
The MRT-3 line, which first started operations in December 1999, is undergoing massive rehabilitation works by Japanese firms Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
Rehabilitation works are due for completion next year.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan previously said that the goal of the rehabilitation project is to restore the busy MRT-3 to its original capacity.
The MRT-3, which runs along Edsa, caters to 300,000 passengers per day. By the time rehabilitation works are done, Batan said that MRT-3 can serve as much as 600,000 commuters.
“This is a product of DOTr and MRT-3’s collaboration to improve the rail line’s service for the riding public,” MRT-3 Director for Operations Michael Capati said.
“We want to keep our commitment to provide our passengers with the best service they can experience. As Secretary [Arthur] Tugade always says, we owe it to our passengers,” he added.