MRT execs suspect human hand in coach decoupling

The third coach on a northbound train of the Metro Rail Transit 3 was detached from the rest of the unit on Thursday morning.

In a briefing, officials said the car was decoupled mid-way between the Ayala and Gil Puyat stations.

Train driver Reynaldo Año, said he only realized he was operating only two cars when he reached the Gil Puyat station.

The driver said he immediately drove back to check on the rest of the passengers and instructed security guards to assist them in walking back to the Ayala station.

Officials said none of the car's passengers were seriously injured.

As the investigation continues, MRT officials who were "baffled" by the incident have not detected a mechanical fault as of the briefing on Thursday afternoon.

MRT officials said they are looking at the possibility of the incident resulting from "human intervention."

"'Yung mechanical, hindi 'yan maghihiwalay ng sarili niya 'yan. Iniimbestigahan pa namin," Ruel Jose, an official from the MRT's technical assistance division, said.

An MRT official also said the power should have automatically shut down as the train's system detects a communication problem between the cars.

"However in this incident hindi nangyari yun," Engineer Ricky Inotorio said.

Citing a technical error, the driver insisted that the train kept running even as the icon which supposedly signaled a "communication error" appeared on the diagnosis panel. —NB, GMA News