An LRT-2 train (File photo)
MANILA – The Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) on Friday resumed operations about an hour after a temporary suspension caused by technical problems with a power rectifier or transformer.
Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Hernando Cabrera said the affected power rectifier, Rectifier Sub-station (RSS) No. 5, was damaged in a fire in 2019 and had its rehabilitation completed last week.
“Last night, the newly rehabilitated RSS No. 5 was put online but suffered some technical problems. It prevented the revenue operations of the whole system which should have started at 5 a.m.,” Cabrera said in a message.
The temporary stoppage was announced around 5:30 a.m., with troubleshooting completed by 6:45 a.m. and the whole LRT-2 line operation was restored by 7 a.m.
He said the testing and commissioning of the newly rehabilitated RSS No. 5 will take four days and will be completed by Monday.
“After Monday, the regular process of bringing down trains to the depot every night after operations will be simulated. This process has not been fully done since 2020 because of the damaged RSS. The simulation process will be done gradually so as not to overwhelm the newly rehabilitated system,” he said.
He said temporary stoppages are not expected to repeat during this period but may occur due to unforeseen problems.
“The usual birthing pains of a newly rehabilitated system, despite our usual contingency plans,” he said.
In October 2019, power transformers between the Anonas and Katipunan stations and in the Santolan depot of the LRT-2 tripped, resulting in a fire that saw the closure of these three stations for more than a year.
The three stations reopened in January 2021 after all safety tests were conducted. (PNA)
