FILE PHOTO: MRT train (UNTV News)
MANILA, Philippines – The private owner of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 found out that MRT officials used old rails from their depot to replace the defective rails in the MRT tracks.
According to MRT Holdings chairman Robert Sobrepeña, this is illegal and will affect the maintenance works for the trains.
“If those tracks will be used in their everyday operation, we willexperience problems in the maintenance. Where will we park and testthe trains? That will be the problem,” he said.
Sobrepeña complained that MRT General Manager Roman Buenafe did not ask permission that they will use the tracks in the depot that is owned by MRTH. Sobrepeña insisted that the tracks in the depot are private property and must not be taken without permission.
MRT General Manager Buenafe replied saying that they wrote a letter to MRTH and promised to return the rails back. “We’re talking public safety here. If we will continue fighting about the ownership of the tracks, I am giving the assurance that we will return it to MRTC,” he explained.
The maintenance provider of the MRT backed up the plan to replace the rails.
“Recently there has been an increase of cracks because of the age of the rails,” Bing Zaide, the Spokesperson of Global APT said.
Meanwhile, MRT will implement the “early close, late open” scheme wherein the operations will end 9 in the evening and will resume 12 noon the following day starting on Saturday.
“We will do this so we can start our program for the safety and reliability of the trains aside from that, some problems will also be addressed,” Buenafe said.
On Thursday, MRT will start the rehabilitation of the comfort rooms in all the MRT stations. Elevators and escalators will also be replaced. MRT said they would exhaust all efforts to deploy 18 trains from the current 16 trains.
(Mon Jocson / UNTV News)