DOTR: No funding for MRT 3 safety barriers

MANILA  -The Department of Transportation (DOTr) admitted it has no funding to construct platform barriers as a safety measure at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3).

Still, Transportation Assistant Secretary for Railways and MRT 3 officer in charge Jorjette Aquino said the agency was keen on realizing the project.

“[Due] to budgetary constraints, the proposals to establish platform barriers have not yet materialized. The DOTr-MRT 3 will still pursue the proposal,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

Platform barriers was proposed in the past “to prevent passengers from falling from the platform [onto] the tracks, whether intentional or unintentional.”

Discussions about the installation of such safety barriers were revived after a passenger jumped onto the tracks of the MRT-3 Quezon Avenue Station on Wednesday, April 12.

Meanwhile, ongoing railway projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway and Metro Manila Subway have included the installation of platform screen doors.

The DOTr reported that a woman jumped onto the tracks around 11:57 a.m. on Wednesday. The passenger was brought to East Avenue Medical Center but was later on declared dead.

Train operations were temporarily disrupted due to the incident, resuming fully at 1:20 p.m. on the same day.

“In the meantime, station personnel and security services providers will be instructed to implement strict measures to prevent passengers from crossing the yellow line/marker on the platforms while the trains have not yet come to a full stop at the stations,” Aquino said.

“They will also continue to profile passengers [for] out of the normal movements,” she added. INQ