Computer glitch affects MRT3

MANILA, Philippines – The management of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) which runs on Edsa conducted a broad check of its systems after a computer glitch that partly paralyzed operations Saturday resurfaced on Monday morning.

MRT3 General Manager Al Vitangcol said in a text message that the systems check “should ensure that the same problem [would] not recur.”

He was referring to a glitch on Saturday that limited train operations from North Avenue station in Quezon City to just Shaw Boulevard station in Mandaluyong City.

Vitangcol tagged a malfunctioning computer system at Taft station as the culprit. The computer was responsible for feeding data to the signaling system. “Without it, our control center cannot see our trains from Buendia (Makati) to Taft,” he said.

The same problem recurred on Monday so operations were again limited from North Avenue up to Shaw until the system returned to normal at 9:25 a.m.

More than half a million commuters use the MRT3 daily. The 17-kilometer railway line, whose original capacity was pegged at 350,000 passengers per day, is one of three elevated railways serving Metro Manila and also one of its most congested.

The transportation department has sought to alleviate the problem by setting crowd control measures and extending operating hours. However, these have resulted in longer waiting times with passengers having to queue for over an hour before setting foot inside an MRT station during rush hour.

The longer-term solution is the acquisition of new train cars and a contract with China’s Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co. Ltd. CNR to supply 48 new trains to the MRT 3’s 73-car fleet was given a notice to proceed last month.

New trains, which will be delivered in batches, will start arriving in the country in the second half of 2015.