Lightning strikes LRT-2; Santolan-Katipunan service disrupted

Light Rail Transit. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Santolan and Katipunan stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 were closed late Monday morning after lightning damaged part of the railway’s systems responsible for transferring power to the trains.

At around 11:10 a.m., lightning hit the catenary cables at the Santolan station’s reversing track, preventing the reversion of the trains from the eastbound side to the westbound side of the railway.

“The LRT2 catenary line at Santolan area was hit by lightning,” LRT Authority spokesperson Cabrera said. He said the Santolan station is located in a lightning-prone area.

No one was hurt in the incident.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, authorities were still fixing a cable that was hit by lightning.

Ming Singh, public relations officer of the LRT2, said the cable allows electricity to travel from one station to the other and allows the trains to move.

Singh said it may take time before the cable is repaired.

Meanwhile, operations from Anonas Station in Quezon City to Recto Station in Manila and back have not been disrupted.

Originally posted at 01:24 pm | Monday, August 13, 2012