MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has directed the management of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and its maintenance provider, Sumitomo Corp., to submit a detailed explanation regarding the service disruption that affected thousands of commuters on Wednesday morning.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez ordered MRT-3 officials and Sumitomo representatives to explain the cause of the interruption that occurred between the Buendia and Guadalupe stations during the morning rush hour. The incident forced the implementation of provisional operations and caused delays for passengers traveling along the EDSA rail line.
According to the DOTr, the temporary disruption resulted in passengers being unloaded from affected trains while technical personnel worked to address the issue. MRT-3 management later implemented provisional service to keep train operations running while repairs were underway.
Lopez said commuters deserve a clear explanation regarding the incident, emphasizing the importance of maintaining reliable and safe public transportation services. He also instructed concerned officials to identify measures that would prevent similar disruptions from occurring in the future.
MRT-3 later announced that normal operations had been restored after technical teams completed the necessary checks and corrective measures. The railway line resumed full service by Wednesday evening following several hours of limited operations.
Sumitomo, the Japanese firm responsible for maintaining MRT-3, has been overseeing the rail line’s maintenance and rehabilitation works under an agreement with the Philippine government. The company returned as MRT-3’s maintenance provider in 2019 as part of a major rehabilitation program aimed at improving the system’s reliability and safety.
The MRT-3, which serves hundreds of thousands of commuters daily along EDSA, is one of Metro Manila’s busiest rail transit systems.
