A faster, more efficient MRT-3 service will soon be part of the "new normal," the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has pledged.
MRT-3 Director for Operations Michael Capati said the improvements were the results of the massive rehabilitation project conducted by their Japanese maintenance contractor, Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Ltd.
THE PUBLIC will be in for great rides very soon (pun intended) after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that current rehabilitation works on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will all be finished by December this year.
"Commuters of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) can expect even more efficient service, as the rail line operates with more trains and faster turnaround time ahead of the expected completion of its full and massive rehabilitation," the agency said in a press statement.
MRT-3 Director for Operations Michael Capati said the improvements were the results of the massive rehabilitation project conducted by their Japanese maintenance contractor, Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Ltd.
Capati noted that the MRT-3 rehabilitation project has significantly increased the number of operational trains.
The MRT-3 first set an all-time high of 22 running trains on September 21, 2020.
On January 17 this year, the MRT-3 further broke its record and set the new highest record of 23 running trains on the mainline.
This is a major leap from the usual 10 to 15 running trains before the rehabilitation project started in May 2019.
Before the massive repair of the railway, the MRT-3 had the all-time lowest number of running trains – just six operational trains on 24 May 2015, due to the poor maintenance by its previous provider, which the DOTr had terminated.
Meanwhile, from the pre-pandemic figure of 280,000 passengers, the first highest ridership figure during the quarantine period was 168,945 passengers, which was recorded on February 15.
Last February 26, the MRT-3 recorded another record-high in the number of passengers on a single day during the pandemic at 172,665, despite the railway’s current percentage of capacity restriction.
In June 2020, the railway increased its passenger capacity to 13 percent or 51 passengers per train car or 153 passengers per train set.
This was further increased to 30% in October 2020, with 124 passengers per train car or 372 passengers per train set.
From the previous 30 kilometers per hour operating speed, trains on the line can reach a 60-kilometer per hour operational speed as of December 2020.
The increase in train speed has trimmed the headway or waiting time between trains at stations from 4 minutes to 3.5 minutes. This is another improvement from the previous 8 minutes to 9.5 minutes waiting time for passengers.
The MRT-3 rehabilitation project also sped-up travel time from the North Avenue Station to the Taft Avenue Station to 45 minutes from the previous 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Replacements of rails at the mainline were also completed in December 2020, two months ahead of the target date of February 2021.
“One hundred percent (100%) replaced and de-stressed na rin po ang ating buong linya from Taft Avenue to North Avenue,” Capati added. (ONT)