MRT-3 or Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ EDWIN BACASMAS)
MANILA, Philippines — The number of people who took the Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 (MRT-3) grew by 30 percent in 2023 to 129,030,158.
According to the MRT-3 management, the record surpassed the train line’s 2022 ridership of 98,330,683.
The average daily ridership also increased by more than 30 percent in 2023 at 357,198 passengers, the management added. In 2022, MRT-3’s average daily ridership was at 273,141.
Transport Assistant Secretary for Railways and MRT-3 officer-in-charge Jorjette Aquino attributed the ridership growth to the train line’s enhanced reliability and effective maintenance program.
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“The MRT-3 served as a reliable partner to more commuters who returned to on-site work in 2023 and needed a fast and dependable mode of transport. The continued effective maintenance and upkeep of MRT-3’s rehabilitated subsystems contributed to the improved reliability and efficiency of the rail line,” Aquino said in a statement posted on MRT-3’s official Facebook page.
“Our trains now receive necessary preventive maintenance and upkeep on time, while other subsystems such as tracks, signaling, and power are also properly maintained,” she added.
She likewise emphasized that enhancements improved MRT-3 operations, reducing travel time to “30–45 minutes from North Avenue Station to Taft Avenue Station.”
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“Headway is also at as low as 3.5 minutes to 4 minutes during peak hours, with 18 train sets operating,” Aquino added.
In December 2021, builder and maintenance provider Sumitomo-MHI-TESP rehabilitated the transit line, which increased operating speed from 30 kilometers per hour (kph) to 60 kph, according to the MRT-3 management.
The Department of Transportation extended its maintenance and rehabilitation contracts with Sumitomo until 2025.
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