LRTA: Safety inspection halts MRT service in QC

Operations of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 were momentarily stopped in Quezon City before noon Wednesday due to what the Light Rail Transit Authority called a "safety precaution." LRTA spokesman Hernando Cabrera said the MRT-3's operations resumed at 11:01 a.m., after safety teams inspected the smoke from an electric post near the MRT's North Avenue station. "We implemented a safety procedure. Smoke was seen from an electric post near the North Avenue station. We had the smoke inspected," Cabrera said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said that while the inspection was going on, MRT operations were stopped "para sa kaligtassan ng pasahero (for the passengers' safety)." Cabrera said normal MRT operations resumed at 11:01 a.m. It was the latest disruption to hit the MRT, whose operations were hampered last Saturday due to a problem with its signaling system. The problem was eventually fixed but the MRT was forced to operate only partially that day. — LBG, GMA News