MRT3 runs 31 straight days without unloading incident

No incident of passenger unloading was reported by the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) for 31 straight days of operations, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Friday.

The mass rail transit system has recorded its longest “no-unloading streak” of 31 straight days from October 16 to November 15, the DOTr said in a statement.

“This is the longest ongoing no-unloading streak for the transit since 2011,” it said.

The new record has surpassed the 29 consecutive days from July 4 to August 1, 2018.

MRT3 trains are notorious for random breakdowns due to unspecified technical problems, placing passengers in an inconvenient situation if not endangering them.

In November last year, the DOTr terminated its maintenance contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc. for “poor performance.”

The government has since taken over the operations and maintenance of the rail transit system.

Early this month, the Philippines and Japan signed an P18-billion loan agreement for the rehabilitation and maintenance of MRT3.

Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the original designer and maintenance provider, has been given the contract to maintain and rehabilitate the rail transit system. —Ted Cordero/VDS, GMA News