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SECRETARY COMMUTES. Transport Secretary Vince Dizon inspected the MRT3 railway and consulted commuters on their experiences on March 17, 2025.
Department of Transportation's Facebook page
Transport Secretary Vince Dizon is also asking for additional trains to be deployed during the railway’s busy hours
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is asking the management of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) to extend its operations by “at least” another hour.
Transport Secretary Vince Dizon is also asking for additional trains to be deployed during the railway’s busy hours. These suggestions were made on Monday, March 17, after Dizon inspected the railway.
He also sought suggestions from the riding public on how to improve MRT3’s services.
MRT3 is a 16.9-kilometer railway with 13 stations — Taft Avenue, Magallanes, Ayala, Buendia, Guadalupe, Boni, Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas, Santolan-Annapolis, Araneta Center-Cubao, Kamuning, Quezon Avenue, and North Avenue Station.
The first ride from MRT3’s North Avenue Station leaves at 4:30 am, while the last trip departs at 9:30 pm.
Trains from the Taft Avenue Station leave at 5:05 am and will be available until 10:09 pm.
Extending railway hours would make it more accessible to workers who have later shifts and students who will be coming home from hours of schoolwork.
In December 2024, political party Akbayan and youth volunteers started a campaign seeking to extend railway operations of MRT3, LRT1, and LRT2 until 12 am.
On Monday, Dizon also sought suggestions from the riding public on how to improve MRT3’s services.
“Tiniyak ni Secretary Dizon na prayoridad ng [DOTr] na pabilisin ang pila ng mga pasahero sa tren, gawing mas maayos ang pagpasok at paglabas ng mga pasahero, lagyan ng bagong pintura ang mga markings sa istasyon, at ayusin ang mga sirang turnstile,” the DOTr said.
(Secretary Dizon made sure that the DOTr would prioritize making commuter lanes in railways faster, make the entry and exit of passengers more organized, repaint the markings in stations and fix the turnstiles.)
The DOTr also said that it planned adding light fixtures in stations, on top of creating covered walkways leading to other modes of transportation.
The need for maintenance of MRT3 has recently made headlines. Last week, 10 commuters got injured after an escalator malfunctioned at its Taft Avenue Station.
In 2023, a 73-year-old passenger jumped onto the southbound tracks of the MRT3 Quezon Avenue Station and died. MRT3 management said then that it lacked budget to install platform barriers to prevent commuters from falling to the tracks. – Rappler.com
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