The MRT-3 Ortigas station was seen packed with commuters at its stairway and footbridge area last June 1, giving the impression that there was an issue with the railway’s operations. But the Department of Transportation (DOTr) addressed the issue today, saying that the build-up was caused by a defective escalator.
A defective escalator caused the MRT-3 Ortigas station incident
For safety reasons, the Ortigas station’s escalator was temporarily closed. This caused commuters to use the stairway instead, which resulted in a single entry and exit point. The result was that the station was overwhelmed not only by MRT-3 passengers, but also by passers-by who traverse the footbridge to get to nearby malls.
To manage the crowd, security personnel immediately stepped in to implement a “stop-and-go” scheme, directing the passenger flow in a more orderly fashion. Meanwhile, the DOTr said that there were no long queues observed inside the MRT-3 platform and concourse area.
The technicians from the subcontractor of MRT-3’s maintenance provider arrived at the station to troubleshoot and repair the escalator. At around 9:30 a.m., the DOTr assured the public that passenger flow had been normalized. The agency extended its apologies to all who were affected.
“We extend our deepest apologies to all our passengers who were inconvenienced by the incident. We assure the public that we will take all the necessary steps, such as [the] deployment of standby technicians, and close coordination with the Road Sector in crowd management, to prevent this incident from happening again,” said DOTr in a press statement.
The incident is now solved
In related news, the MRT-3 extended its ‘Libreng Sakay’ program until June 30, 2022. It offers passengers free rides as a way to support them amid soaring fuel prices. With that said, the said program has now been extended for the third time, following the second extension last month for the same reason.
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