MRT coach detaches from train

MANILA, Philippines - The maintenance contractor of the EDSA-bound Metro Rail Transit (MRT), TES Philippines, is again in hot water after a southbound coach was detached from a three-coach train, stranding passengers between stations during the morning rush hour yesterday.

No one was reported injured, but many passengers were furious after the incident made them late for work.

Hernando Cabrera, Light Rail Transit Authority corporate secretary and spokesman for the LRT Lines and the MRT, said an end-coach of the southbound train, from the Quezon Avenue station got detached while approaching the GMA-Kamuning station.

The detached coach stopped near the station and was left behind by the two front-cars of the train at around 7:58 a.m.

Cabrera said investigation showed that the coupling joint or the coupler, which links the back-end coach to the rest of the train, suddenly became unhinged and the coach suddenly stopped.

He said no one was hurt in the incident but hundreds of passengers immediately opened the train doors using the emergency levers and walked several meters along the tracks to the GMA-Kamuning station.

The incident stopped MRT operations for 12 minutes. The detached coach was later driven to the Shaw Boulevard station for its coupler to be repaired.

There have been recent incidents at the MRT due to technical glitches. TES Philippines has been the rail line’s maintenance contractor since 1998, and is paid $1.4 million a month.

TES Philippines’ contract lapsed last year but Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus extended the contract early this year for another six months. – With Reinir Padua