Glitches stall LRT-1, MRT after 4-day maintenance work

Glitches hit the Light and Metro Rail Transit systems early Monday, less than 24 hours after both underwent maintenance checks during the Holy Week. An LRT-1 coach suffered a glitch at 5:10 a.m. at the Libertad station in Pasay City, while an MRT coach stalled in Mandaluyong City due to under-voltage. The glitch in the first incident involving an LRT-1 coach at Libertad station delayed LRT operations by six minutes, radio dzBB reported. At the time of the incident, the LRT coach was bound north towards Monumento in Caloocan City. Worse for LRT-1 passengers, many of the exit stiles at the Libertad station were defective. "May problema tayo lately sa gate dahil naubusan tayo ng spare parts para maayos ang regular na maintenance. Ang ginawa natin ngayon hinuhulog nila sa box ang card para mabilis ang exit nila," LRT Administration spokesman Hernando Cabrera said in an interview on dzBB radio. (We have had problems with the stiles because we ran out of spare parts. For now we let the passengers drop their cards into a box and let them leave via a regular gate.) On the other hand, an MRT train heading north stalled at the Shaw Boulevard Station at Mandaluyong City at 7:30 a.m. Cabrera said this was due to under-voltage for the MRT train. This prompted MRT personnel to have the passengers get off, he said. Ironically, the LRT and MRT had undergone a four-day Holy Week break since Holy Thursday last week, to undergo maintenance and repairs. In past weeks, the LRT-1 had been plagued by glitches that delayed operations by several minutes, many of them involving a faulty door mechanism. - KBK, GMA News