DOTC Sec. Abaya on derailed MRT3 train

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler talked to Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya.

On August 13, 2014, a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) train derailed and breached the safety barriers  of the terminal in southern Metro Manila, injuring at least 36 passengers. The youngest victim was 6 months old.

Shortly after the incident the DOTC-MRT3 issued an advisory on its official Twitter account citing a “technical problem.” Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and MRT3 spokesman Hernando Cabrera said train coach 003B lost power between the Magallanes and Taft stations a little over past 4 pm that day. Another train came to its rescue. It linked with the stalled train and started to push it to the next nearest station – all part of standard procedure.

Cabrera explained that in the process, the two trains became “uncoupled” or delinked. Since the stalled train, which was in front, had no power, its brakes were automatically locked. The driver could not regulate the speed, causing the train to derail. (READ: MRT-3 train derailed, injuries reported)

Immediately following the incident, the government began its probe on the cause of the derailment. Abaya said the investigation would determine the cause of the accident – if it was a technical or human error.

On the day of the train system’s worst accident to date, Abaya defended the train system’s maintenance: “There’s no lapse in our maintenance. The little that I know so far, there might be a lapse in the procedure, rather than a failure parts or failure in main, but again, I’m not closing the fact but we have to investigate and share to the public the real cause.”

The following day, Abaya admitted the line is overdue for an upgrade but insisted the line was still safe. “My conscience is clear; government is acting and doing the right thing. At the end of the day, to be safe, we won’t run it if it’s not safe.” (READ: Abaya admits MRT-3 upgrade overdue)

On August 19, Tuesday, Abaya said the two train drivers involved in the incident failed to follow safety procedures in the train’s “coupling” procedure. The Transportation Department also found out there was “poor coordination” between the drivers and the managers of the Magallanes and Taft stations. The train drivers and personnel involved face administrative charges.

Abaya talked to Rappler about the proceedings of the probe, and the state of the train transportation system in Manila.  – Rappler.com