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4th glitch hits LRT-1 in 3 days; 'safety protocol' blamed


For the fourth time in three days, yet another glitch disrupted operations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1, with the latest hitch occurring Wednesday night in Manila. LRT Authority (LRTA) spokesman Hernando Cabrera on Thursday said the incident occurred during rush hour at the Carriedo Station, and blamed the glitch on "safety protocol." "I reviewed the closed-circuit television footage of what happened. Our initial finding was that the safety protocol for the train's door activated and prevented the train from leaving the station. The good thing was that the train was prevented from leaving, otherwise passengers would fall off," Cabrera said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB radio. He said the train was crowded at the time, noting the Carriedo Station in Sta. Cruz, Manila, is one of the LRT-1's busiest stations. Cabrera theorized it was possible some passengers may have leaned on the doors and triggered activation of the safety protocol. "Hindi nakaayos ang pintuan ng tren. Ipinakita sa computer ng tren na bukas pa [ang pinto, kaya] hindi bibigyan ng command na tumakbo ang tren," he said. Cabrera maintained the LRTA had not been remiss on its maintenance work, saying it spends some P18 million a month on maintenance alone. Wednesday evening's incident was the second on that day, and the fourth this week alone. Earlier Wednesday, one of the LRT-1's coaches broke down at the Carriedo Station, and that technicians were able to fix it and to bring it to the depot for inspection. Last Monday, four passengers were injured after smoke from a brake pad caused a commotion inside an LRT-1 train near the United Nations Avenue station in Manila. Last Tuesday morning, another glitch hit the LRT-1 in Manila, with one of its coaches stalling in Manila’s downtown Sta. Cruz district. — LBG, GMA News

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