MRT 'express train' scheme implementation put on hold

MANILA -- The implementation of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3) ''express train'' scheme was put on hold. Earlier, the MRT management posted announcements in several MRT stations regarding the implementation of the scheme, which would have started on April 30. Under the scheme, the express trains will only make stops at select stations during peak hours. The MRT management has been looking for ways to solve the congestion problem in its stations and trains, while waiting for the arrival of 48 new coaches starting next year. The mass transit system is now serving close to 600,000 passengers per day or almost double the original designed capacity of 350,000. Currently, the MRT has 73 coaches. Each train passing by a station is composed of three coaches arriving every 3 minutes during peak hours. The MRT expansion project would allow the MRT to deploy four coaches for each train, arriving every 2.5 minutes during peak hours. Umagang Kay Ganda, 30 April 2014