Derailment Caused By Poor Maintenance Of PHTrams-Vitangcol Group or Human Error? #PublishingArticles

Derailment Caused By Poor Maintenance Of PHTrams-Vitangcol Group or Human Error? #PublishingArticles

The derailment of MRT3 train last 13th of August 2014 proved clearer picture of the accident according to the two drivers involved; James Duque drove the train that stalled because of insufficient power and Villacarlos who attached a coupling between the two trains.

The MRT control center’s solution was to order another train, driven by Heigen Villacarlos, to come to the rescue by pushing Duque’s train forward to the next station. But, first, Villacarlos was instructed to unload all his passengers at the Magallanes Station before he and his empty train could join up with Duque’s. Villacarlos then attached a coupling between the two trains, but when the trains began moving toward Taft, the coupling reportedly got detached and Duque’s defective train—which was packed with passengers—barreled toward the station and crashed into the steel barrier at the end. Duque said that by the time his train was hurtling forward, its brake actuator and the emergency button were no longer operational; he was apparently as helpless as his terrified passengers because he didn’t anticipated the downward slope section after the Magallanes train Station?

Is it true that they connected and locked the coupling properly? If it’s locked, they were doing the right procedures? Is there a coupler’s mechanical failure? Or, the driver’s forgot about the downward slope?

The people who handled the train operations should have the expertise to do their jobs. Likewise, the head of the train system must focus on the important issues caused through an operation. Blaming the drivers could only prove nothing, but the fact remains that proper management is the key. The higher management team should have managed their people effectively.

The Taft Avenue derailment is only the most serious accident in terms of injuries caused, but all those earlier occasions of trouble had the potential to lead to disaster, and were actually red flags announcing that the 15-year-old system is now dangerously decrepit. It’s being the center of media reporting and people’s whining on how this MRT3-EDSA could possibly develop their services and management. More and more people were disgusted on why the DOTC couldn’t initially come up with positive result after the Vitangcol case. The maintenance of the coasters, railway, employees and the management as a whole should be prioritized above all. It seemed that their lack of projection showed when PHTrams succeeded in gaining the said contract.

MRTC warned the need to bid out the maintenance contract as early as 2 years before the change to PHTRAMS through Vitangcol. DOTC ignored the warning until 10 days before expiry of the contract which could lower the chances of train breakdowns. But the management pursued the contract even though knew that it’s not worthy for the said project. This resulted to the loophole of an emergency situation, resulting to the appointment of the PHTRAMS-Vitangcol group. Even PHTRAMS has less than 5000 pesos in total capitalization but received a contract over 45M pesos per month. How cruel indeed to know why these breakdowns totally showed at present!

DOTC head, Jun Abaya comment before the derailment, "Riding is a personal decision. I won't go of my way to convince people to ride the MRT," which I believed to be the weakest statement of a leader to his people. The DOTC head should be brave to confront negative or positive things according to his will, that’s present to almost all leaders. Challenging role like this in DOTC should be complacent to a leader’s own sincerity to his job.

To sum it up, the government must be aware of all the problems of MRT3, give instant and long-term solutions to the problems, efficient and effective management, and other facets of the overall development of MRT3-EDSA.