Experts Already Warned that MRT Was Unsafe Months Before the Aug. 13, Mishap

Several experts gave a warning to MRT administration that an accident is waiting to happen for the MRT, they urged the authorities to upgrade their system and re(–foul word(s) removed–)s the rails of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3).

MRT Train Netizens

The warning was issued by the former maintenance contractor of MRT-3, the Comm Builders and Technology Philippines Corp., way back on April 2014, as they noted that the system’s rails were already showing signs of “metal fatigue.”

According to an official, Mr. Rolf Biere, rail consultant of the former maintenance contractor, the MRT trains were merely running safe on “quick stop solutions” implemented by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). The company did not only warned the DOTC but they also suggested that the rail and rail support has to be upgraded or to do some examination of the superstructure of the whole system.

Aside from the former rail contractor of the DOTC, who gave their suggestion to upgrage the MRT system, some railway expert also noted that riding both the MRT and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) had become dangerous, as they noted that the facilities of MRT and LRT were poorly maintained and the software technologies used to operate the trains by remote control were already obsolete. The suggestion was already made during the year 2013.

According to Rene Santiago, a Civil Engineer, the MRT was still using the same operating system since it started operation in 2003. He suggested and raised the need to upgrade the computer system that operates the railways by remote control because thousands of lives are at stakes daily or in every trip of MRT and LRT Trains.

The MRT’s dangers were proven yesterday, as one of the train packed with rush hour commuters, derailed and hit the barrier of the MRT station in Taft Avenue, causing a number of injuries.

Right now the MRT has about 60 trains which served more than 500,000 commuters daily, way beyond its capacity of 300,000.

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