In light of recent breakdowns, broken rail tracks
Nancy to DOTC: tell real state of MRT

Senator Nancy Binay asked officials of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to tell the public the real state of the Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 (MRT-3) in light of the recent breakdowns in the system, especially the railway tracks.

"Mas mabuti ho sabihin na ng DOTC yung kasalukuyong estado ng MRT, lalo na ngayon at napapadalas ang balita ng mga breakdowns sa sistema," Binay said.

"Luging-lugi na ho ang mga mananakay lalong-lalo na pagdating sa safety nila sa MRT," she added. Binay also told officials of the train system to stop doing "band aid" solutions to fix the railway.

"Tama na po ang mga band aid solutions, mas mabuting pagtuunan na ang mga long term solutions," the lady senator said.

"Kung issue ito ng maintenance, dapat e bilisan na nila ang pagbid at pag-award ng kontrata sa bagong maintenance provider," she added.

The MRT this morning was forced to halt its operations from the North Avenue to Shaw Boulevard, as a broken rail was found between Ortigas and Shaw stations. This forced many commuters to look for alternative forms of transportation and further congested main thoroughfares.

Last week, another broken rail in the southbound section of Boni Avenue station also forced the limiting of trips.

Columnist Rigoberto Tiglao had previously said in his column that when Global-APT assumed the maintenance of the trains last September 2013, there were 29 pieces of stock rail replacement. It has gone down to two and a half pieces, he added.

A Senate subcommittee is now looking into the problems of the MRT.

Binay has filed Senate resolution no. 840 urging the body to conduct an inquiry intending to promote a passenger-first mentality to public transport authorities and operators.

"The increasing number of incidents of train malfunction arising from inadequate maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-3 is alarming, and endangers the lives of the commuting public," she earlier said.

Many passengers were injured when a defective MRT train derailed and slammed into a barrier at the Taft Avenue station a few weeks ago.

The DOTC said that the MRT carries 500,000 passengers per day when it was only designed to carry 350,000 passengers.