MRT-3 operations to resume tomorrow

Starting tomorrow, the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) will resume operations on a limited capacity.

The railway was closed last week after many of its personnel contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of the latest tally, 281 personnel have tested positive for

COVID-19, company officials said.

Those who tested positive were from the MRT-3 depot and station, maintenance employees and subcontractors of SumitomoMHI-TESP and other MRT-3 service providers. They have been isolated in government quarantine facilities. In a statement, MRT-3 management yesterday said 1,093 depot and 1,010 station personnel have tested negative for the virus.

Tomorrow, the MRT-3 will dispatch 12 trains, which include 10 CKD and two Dalian train sets. The first train set will be dispatched at 5:30 a.m. from the North Avenue station to Taft Avenue station. Passengers would be asked to fill out health declaration forms before boarding the trains for contact tracing purposes, MRT management said. During the temporary operations shutdown, MRT-3 facilities underwent thorough disinfection.

All depot and station personnel are now required to wear full personal protective equipment, face masks, shields, gowns and gloves in a move to intensify their protection against COVID-19.

The railways will also implement a five-minute “disinfection hustle,” where trains would be disinfected at every half loop. Personnel health check and monitoring will also be observed wherein employees are required to submit health declaration forms twice a day. The MRT-3 bus augmentation program would continue to be operational, officials said.