Blasts, fire halt LRT 2 operations
Power to Santolan depot cut as 2 transformers trip
Thousands o fl ight Rai lt ransit (LRT) 2 commuter s we re strande do n Thursday after tw oo f the rectifier s( transformer s) p owering it s ma inline exploded, leading to a total shutdown of the train system.
In a s tatement, LRT Authority (LRTA) spokesperson Hernan Cabrer asa idt ha tt he trai nl i ne s toppe do perati ngat 11:33 a.m. afte rr ectifier No .5 between the Katipunan and Anonas stations an dr ectifier No .6a tt he Santolan depot tripped and caught fire.
Shortly before 5 p.m., the LRTA sa id i n an announcemen to ntw itte rt ha tt he LRT 2w ould n ot r esume operatio nsf ort he day.
Cabrer a sa id i n an interview tha tt he decision was mad e af ter multiple serious issues were discovered.
Among others, t he f ire damage dt hes ignaling system tha tdi ctate dt he pace an dr un of the trains. Also affected were the radio communications systems, automati cfa re collection system, even the fibe ro ptic cables that lie underneath the rail tracks that had been rente do u tto private telecommunicatio nsf irms.
7 trains stranded
Anothe ri ssue was the tot al p owe ro utage a tt he Santolan dep ott hat had left seven trai ns s tranded between the Recto and Anonas stations.
“The trains don’t have access anymore to t he depot area which means they cannot be maintained f or o perations,” Cabrer asa id. “Because of this, [management] cannot recommend partial operations anymore.”
Given the exten to f the damage, he could not say either whethe r it was possible f ort he LRT 2 tor esume normal operations by today.
The trai nl ine which runs from Santolan i n Ma rikina City to Rec to i n Manila services around 240,000 commuters daily.
Cabrer asa idt hat an investigation into what cause dt he tripping was underway.
This was the second major inciden ti nvolving the LRT 2 fi ve m onths after a runaway parke dtr ain smashe di nto anothe ro ne between the Cubao and Anonas stations in Quezo nc ity, leaving 34 people injured.
The results of t he c rash probe were never made public bu tt he Departmen to ft ransportatio n sa id t he LRTA had alread yf orwarde d it s report toi nvestigators.