Electrical failure stops MRT train; 750 passengers offloaded

A southbound Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) train broke down at the GMA-Kamuning Station after encountering an electrical failure on Saturday afternoon.

In an advisory, MRT-3 media relations officer Aly Narvaez said about 750 commuters were offloaded at 2:06 p.m. after the electrical failure was reported in the train’s motor.

Narvaez explained that the electrical failure may have been caused by worn-out electrical sub-components. The train was immediately brought back to the depot in North Avenue, Quezon City for preventive maintenance.

The offloaded passengers were then made to board the next train which arrived eight minutes after the incident, Narvaez said.

The breakdown was the first to be reported on the MRT-3 line since February 21.

According to Narvaez, this was the longest streak since MRT-3 Maintenance Transition Team (MTT) replaced the terminated Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI).

READ: No MRT-3 glitch reported in past 7 days, official says

Narvaez said that after newly-procured spare parts for train coaches started arriving last month, there was a marked decline in service interruptions, unloading incidents and train removals in the transit line.

The MRT-3 management aims to implement a “major improvement” after Holy Week, saying that the transit line’s train coaches were expected to be overhauled by then, Narvaez said.   /muf