DOTr dusts off plan to install platform barriers at train stations

Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is reviving plans to install train platform barriers and screen doors at the stations of Metro Manila’s railway lines, starting with the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3) on Edsa.

This was after a 73-year-old woman died after jumping onto the southbound tracks at the MRT 3’s Quezon Avenue station shortly before noon on Wednesday.

READ: MRT-3 operations paused after passenger allegedly jumps onto tracks

The woman was still breathing when emergency responders brought her to East Avenue Medical Center but was pronounced dead about two hours later. The rescue effort prompted an evacuation of passengers and about an hourlong disruption of train operations.

At a media briefing on Thursday, Transportation Assistant Secretary Jorjette Aquino made references to the incident as she recalled that proposals were made by the DOTr during the Duterte administration to put up safety installations at the train station platforms.

But the plan did not materialize due to lack of funds, Aquino said.

“In this administration, we will pursue this recommendation as long as there is enough budget,” she said.

Plans for new railway projects currently in the works— such as the Metro Manila Subway Project and North-South Commuter Railway—have included safety barriers in their design, the transport official noted.

Stockholm study

The DOTr, Aquino said, would tighten security measures at train stations to avoid similar incidents in the future.

She reminded passengers that they were not allowed to cross the yellow line on platforms until the train had fully stopped. Security personnel are also advised to be extra watchful of passengers acting “out of the normal.”

A study conducted in Sweden and published in December 2022 noted that the installation of mid-track fencing at one of the train stations in Stockholm reduced the suicide rate at that particular station by 62.5 percent.

“However, nearby control stations (without fencing) showed a 162-percent increase in suicides after the intervention, suggesting the induction of transfer effects,” the study said. —Nestor Corrales and Jane Bautista