PNR, MRT-3 operations resume after derailment, signaling issues

MANILA: The Philippine National Railways (PNR) and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) have resumed operations after a PNR train derailed and the MRT-3 faced signaling issues on Wednesday.

The affected PNR train was successfully re-railed in Magsaysay Crossing, close to the Santa Mesa station, according to a PNR advisory. The PNR's Tutuban-Alabang, Bicutan, Biñan, and vice versa route is now operational.

“Naibalik ang normal operations bandang 8:00 ng umaga matapos ang re-railment at testing (The normal operations resumed around 8 a.m. after the re-railment and testing),” the PNR stated in its advisory.

The recent Severe Tropical Storm Paeng and several days of rain caused the ground beneath the rails in Magsaysay Crossing to soften, which led to the train derailment.

“Agad na nagsagawa ng re-railment ang PNR sa pamamagitan ng paglalagay ng mga ballast sa mga apektadong riles (The PNR immediately conducted re-railment by placing ballasts in the affected rails),” it said.

Six routes were affected by the incident, two of which were headed to Tutuban, and four were headed towards Alabang, Bicutan, and Biñan.

Meanwhile, an “abnormal signaling indication” at Shaw Boulevard Station led to the suspension of MRT-3 operations at 5:12 a.m.

“All trains were stopped at the nearest station as a precautionary measure as technicians troubleshoot the issue,” the MRT-3 stated in an advisory.

After the MRT-3 Control Center confirmed normal indications on the signaling system, “full and normal operations” resumed at 6:58 a.m.

According to the MRT-3's automatic fare collection system, 3,615 passengers were affected by the suspension.

15 three-car CKD trains were operational at 2 p.m., and 14 of them were operating at the MRT-3 with a headway of five to six minutes.

Photo from Department of Transportation

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