IT was a nightmare that came true for most passengers when two coaches of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 supposedly collided between Anonas and Cubao stations in Quezon City last Saturday.
A report said at least 34 people were injured and taken to the Quirino Medical Center and Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
A female passenger recalled that at first, the commuters were confused if the incident was a collision or an explosion.
The passengers were flung to the middle part of the coach due to the impact. Some felt the pain of flesh and bones hitting solid steel. Others screamed, especially when the lights went out for five minutes.
Commuters waited for about 30 minutes before being instructed to transfer to another coach. That was the time that a passenger noticed that the middle part connecting the train had allegedly exploded. They only became aware that others were also injured when they got off Anonas Station.
LRT-2 authorities said a defective train was parked at the pocket track between Anonas and Katipunan stations at past 2 p.m. on Saturday.
For some unknown reason, the defective train moved towards the Cubao station while on the eastbound track at 9 p.m., and went on to collide head-on with train number 13 with its passengers headed for Anonas Station
LRT authorities already formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the defective train as well as the train operator, control center, maintenance, and the train monitoring system otherwise known as the “black box”. They would also shoulder the hospital expenses of those injured.
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Time and again, commuters had to endure the countless instances when the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) coaches suffered all kinds of glitches, and they were forced to get off and walk to the nearest station.
So far, the worst incident that occurred involving an LRT train took place on December 30, 2000, Rizal Day, when a bomb planted by terrorists exploded inside a coach at the Blumentritt Line 1 Station in Manila.
Apart from fixing the coaches, security should be tightened in all MRT or LRT stations. We don’t want a repeat of the Rizal Day bombing.
If it’s true that a damaged train moved on its own and caused the LRT-2 collision, it would appear that LRT Management has more lapses to cover to ensure the safety of all its passengers.
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