MRT-3 operates nineteen trains for commuters on GCQ

MANILA, Philippines – The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line 3 administration deployed nineteen trains to accommodate commuters on the first day of the general community quarantine (GCQ).

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan said the MRT-3 added four new trains to the fifteen trains that were operating before the coronavirus outbreak began. This will make up for the reduced capacity per train resulting from the implementation of health and safety measures.

Train speed was also increased from 30 km/h (kilometers per hour) to 40km/h.

“Hindi lang tayo nagdagdag ng tren, nagpadagdag din tayo ng speed kasi nga natapos natin yung ilan nating mga rail replacement (We didn’t just add trains, we added speed as well because some of our rail replacements have been finished),” said Undersecretary Batan.

He also said the government’s bus augmentation service is helping them accommodate more passengers. 

“Kaya nga kung makikita natin, halos wala tayong makitang pila sa kahit anong istasyon ng MRT-3 ngayong araw na ito (As we can see, there are almost no visible lines in any of the stations of MRT-3 today),” Batan added.

The MRT-3 has a strict ‘no facemask, no entry’ policy.