MRT train fails at Ayala station, hundreds of passengers stranded

MRT commuters were delayed by about half an hour mid-afternoon on Tuesday when a light rail coach at the Ayala station malfunctioned and had to be brought off-line for repairs. Other coaches at the stations from Taft to Buendia had to wait while the train was inspected and later set aside for repairs. Oliver Casili, MRT operations officer, told GMA News Online that the train’s ‘bogies’, the small wheels that come in contact with the track, experienced ‘technical difficulties.’ “Fifteen minutes po na-stuck ang tren sa Ayala station, habang pinag-aralan nila yung problema, bago dinala ‘yung tren sa Shaw Pocket Track para ma-repair," Casili said. He added that the steps taken were according to their standard operating procedures on handling train malfunctions. “At kung may problema ‘yon, ang patakaran diyan, ina-isolate muna at hinahanap ang problema, para makasiguro sa safety ng tren at ng mga pasahero," the MRT official said. Repair and maintenance work on the light rail trains were done during the Holy Week holidays. Several trains had malfunctioned in the weeks past. However, two units still had glitches when LRT and MRT operations resumed on Easter Monday, April 25. — ELR/VS, GMA News