Derailed MRT train removed from crash site

MANILA, Philippines - The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) train that slammed into a barrier at the Taft Avenue station in Pasay City last Wednesday was finally removed from the crash site yesterday.

Hernando Cabrera, MRT spokesman, told The STAR the clearing operation began at 11 p.m. Thursday and was completed around 3 a.m. yesterday.

He said two coaches of the derailed train were removed Thursday evening by a special utility truck that can run on both railways. The two coaches were pulled back into the railway and towed toward the MRT depot in EDSA, Quezon City.

The remaining coach of the train was then dismantled into three parts and transported by flatbed truck to the MRT depot.

“The crash site is now cleared, but further testing on the railway is being conducted to insure that there is no crack,” Cabrera said.

The two coaches will also undergo testing to determine which parts were damaged during the impact. The stopper that was damaged has been replaced and the steel fence restored, he added.

The Department of Transportation and Communications yesterday vowed to complete its investigation on the derailed MRT train by Tuesday as the fact-finding team headed by DOTC undersecretary for operations Edwin Lopez is expected to submit its report on the accident on that day.

“In the meantime, we cannot speculate on the events that led to the unfortunate incident. We find it more prudent to await the results of the investigation instead of forming a mere opinion on whether it was a human error or a technical malfunction,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said.

A team composed of representatives from the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Office for Transportation Security is now examining the footage from the closed circuit television as well as the blackbox-like device of the train.

Abaya said the team would also examine the testimonies of the two drivers and eyewitness account of passengers and bystanders, and conduct simulations and interview control center personnel.

He also clarified that the inquiry being conducted by the DOTC is separate from the probe being done by the Philippine National Police.

Senate inquiry called

The Senate will also conduct its own probe into the accident.

Sen. Nancy Binay filed Senate Resolution no. 840, urging the proper committee to conduct an inquiry intending to improve passenger safety in mass transport operations.

Senators Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino and Koko Pimentel also filed separate resolutions to conduct probes on the MRT mishap.

Binay expressed concern over reports about MRT’s inadequate preventive maintenance, absence of regular inspection, lack of spare parts replacement and unpreparedness in times of accidents and risks.

“The increasing number of incidents of train malfunction arising from inadequate maintenance of the MRT is alarming... (This) endangers the lives of the commuting public,” she said.

Binay also seeks a review of MRT operations. She took note of Abaya’s statement that the MRT carries 500,000 passengers per day when it was only designed for 350,000 passengers. This means that the trains carry 150,000 passengers over capacity.

The Senate, she stressed, should look into these matters “to prevent future accidents and mishaps that may claim the lives of thousands of Filipino commuters and motorists.”

Better services first before subsidy

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, meanwhile, urged officials of the DOTC to ensure better services of the MRT before Congress approves the P6.6-billion subsidy it is seeking for railway operations.

According to Recto, the requested taxpayer support for the 17-kilometer rail line is lodged in two items in the proposed P52.9-billion budget of the DOTC for 2015.

First, it is under the proposed P1.92 billion for “operation and maintenance” of the MRT, while the second one is a recommended P4.66-billion “subsidy for MRT.”

“We will ask if the P6.6 billion in subsidy will be enough to prevent its trains from jumping off the tracks,” Recto said.

“We’d also like to know how much would it cost to cut the queuing time for a ticket, so that time spent in lines would be shorter than the ride itself,” he added.

Quoting from the proposed 2015 national budget Malacañang has sent to Congress, Recto also bared that there is a special provision in the budget of the DOTC which allows the agency to use “farebox revenue” and “non-rail collections” in settling MRT’s operating requirements and prior years’ obligations.

Recto said the DOTC in turn promises to reduce transfer time from 10 minutes to five minutes and decrease load factor by eight percent.

For the whole rail sector, the DOTC is targeting an average speed of 48 kilometers per hour, 90 percent on-time schedule, and 4.48 million passenger kilometers traveled every day for 2015.

“As to service disruptions, it is keeping the number of what it calls ‘passenger unloading incidents’ to under 300 for the whole of 2015,” Recto said.

“We would like to know if, by giving the P6.6 billion, the DOTC can redeem its promises,” he stressed.

Beginning 2013, the Aquino administration has attached countable performance indicators and final outcomes to every allocation it is asking in the national budget.

For the current year Congress, through the national budget, has authorized P4.09 billion as subsidy to the MRT on top of its P1.81-billion allocation for operation and maintenance. – With Christina Mendez, Mike Frialde, Lawrence Agcaoili