The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) abruptly halted its rush hour operations Tuesday morning, as the line’s catenary system wires had caught fire.
In an advisory, the MRT-3 management said the interruption occurred at around 7:36 a.m. due to a report that a wire was in flames between the Cubao and Santolan Stations, Southbound.
To ensure passenger safety, all trains were instructed to stop at the nearest stations. Subsequently, long commuter lines filled every station, especially the first station at North Avenue, reported RH 5 Val Gonzales.
As the hitch in operations lasted about 37 minutes, many of the passengers opted to leave the station and ride the motorcycles-for-hire waiting below.
The MRT-3 management said their maintenance team’s response was immediate, promptly carrying out an assessment of the damage and intervention.
Nevertheless, they apologized to the affected passengers, declared safety came first in their priorities, and promised they would take the necessary measures to ensure the incident does not recur.
