MANILA, Philippines – The management of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) brushed aside as an isolated incident the abrupt stop made by one of its cars, causing minor injuries to 8 passengers on Wednesday morning, March 26.

In a statement, they assured commuters that MRT 3 operations “remains normal and unhampered.”

At around 10:50 am Wednesday, the driver of Car No. 14 of Train No. 1 “failed to observe the Red Light Status at the Guadalupe Station.” The driver continued to move southbound despite not getting clearance from the Control Center, the MRT 3 said in a statement.

As a result, the Automatic Train Protection system “kicked in and locked the breaks of the train.” The train suddenly stopped, causing minor injuries to 8 passengers.

“This was clearly a lapse on the part of the train driver,” the MRT 3 administration said in the statement.

According to MRT 3’s report, the 8 passengers were brought to the Makati Medical Center. At the time they posted their statement, 3 of the 8 were already discharged after sustained minor bruises.

It has not been a smooth week for the MRT 3 and its passengers. Aside from the usual long lines, the train line was forced to undergo “provisional operations” on Monday, following a glitch in the communication system. For a few hours, the system only ran from the North Avenue to Shaw Boulevard stations.

Still, the MRT 3 management said they were “doing [their] best” to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“As it is, the MRT 3 remains as one of the safest mode of transport in Metro Manila,” they said in the statement. – Rappler.com