At least three of the country’s upcoming major railways will have platform screen doors in all stations, an official of the Department of Transportation has confirmed.
During the renaming rites of the LRT-1 Roosevelt Station to Fernando Poe Jr. Station, Transportation undersecretary for railways Cesar Chavez said that the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), the Metro Manila Subway, and the Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT-4) will be equipped with the safety feature: “Clark to Calamba, 147km, 34 stations—lahat yun ay may passenger screen door na,” Chavez said of the NSCR. “Ang subway natin, ganun din. Ang MRT-4 natin, ganun din.”
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Platform screen doors, which are widely used in countries with advanced rail networks, are half-height or full-height barriers that separate platforms from the tracks. They come with gates that line up with the train cars’ doors, sliding open to allow passengers to board or alight, then closing before the train departs. In Osaka, the world’s first adjustable platform screen doors that can be compatible with any train car are already in use.
The official’s statement came after a male passenger reportedly jumped onto the southbound tracks of the LRT-1 Blumentritt Station on Saturday, August 19. According to the DOTr advisory, “the train operator was able to apply the emergency brake,” and first responders found the passenger conscious, but with a severed left foot.
Chavez said that fitting existing LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 stations with platform screen doors would be difficult, but the DOTr will study the proposals. Calls for these safety features to be installed in train stations have been made over the years, even as recently as April after a passenger who had allegedly jumped onto the southbound tracks of the MRT-3 Quezon Avenue Station passed away.
