LRT: Crash due to human error

The collision of two Light Rail Transit Line 1 trains on Saturday morning, which hurt one operator and inconvenienced thousands of commuters, was due to human error, an LRT official reported yesterday.

While the investigating panel has yet to issue a formal report, LRT spokesman Hernando Cabrera said the operator of the second train overrode the rail line’s safety mechanism – which automatically stops trains when a red signal goes on – and “proceeded to move his train forward,” hitting the train in front of him at the Monumento station.

He said the operator, whose name was not disclosed, switched off the train’s onboard safety mechanism.

Cabrera explained that the rail line’s automatic signaling system stops all trains once it detects an abnormality.

A train can only be moved if its operator turns off its onboard signaling system, he added. The operator was invited to air his side during the investigation.

Operators are only allowed to turn off the train’s signaling system after they ask clearance from the rail line’s control center.

Cabrera said defying a red signal and switching off an onboard signaling system are considered grave offenses. “Now, he is up for renewal of his contract this coming June, so along that line, we cannot renew his contract,” he said.

Cabrera said the LRT’s policy dictates that an operator involved in an accident is barred from driving a train since the incident has a “psychological effect” on the employee.

The LRT’s investigation is separate from the one by the Department of Transportation and Communication. The two panels are expected to release their final reports tomorrow.