New year brings new MRT elevators

Twenty-seven brand new elevators have been installed on Metro Rail Transit Line 3 and should be fully operational by January 2017,  according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The ongoing repair and rehabilitation of the escalators, on the other hand, are expected to be completed in February.

In a statement, the DOTr said the new elevator units differed from the older system where hydraulic elevator models were used.

The new units are cable elevators with permanent magnets, which do not need oil to operate.

The contractor in charge of the installation, Powerlift Corp., will do maintenance work once a month to check the wiring and clean the interior of the elevators.

Apart from the 27 new units, five more are being installed at North Avenue station (northbound), Ortigas (southbound), Buendia (concourse), and Ayala (southbound).

MRT General Manager Deo Manalo said the new elevators would ease the commute of passengers, with senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disability to be given priority. —MIGUEL R. CAMUS