The Department of Transportation beefed up the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) operation with the deployment of its first ever four-car Dalian train Tuesday, August 26.
In a statement, DOTr said, “Passengers can now board trains faster after the MRT-3 deployed a four-car Dalian train for the first time”.
The train’s additional coach successfully passed all safety checks, aligning with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to improve passenger experience and reduce travel congestion in the metropolis, the DOTr said.
According to MRT-3 management, the introduction of the fourth coach is expected to increase the train’s capacity by 500 passengers per trip, helping to ease long queues at stations. The four-car Dalian trains will be deployed during peak hours — 7:00 to 9:00 AM and 5:00 to 7:00 PM — when passenger volume is at its highest.
In related development, Transportation Secretary, Vince Dizon said that the agency will intensify its crackdown on the unauthorized sale of Beep cards on various online selling platforms.
Amid reports of Beep cards’s alleged hoarding, Dizon clarified that the management does not release any “beep charms” and warned consumers to avoid purchasing unverified items online.
To address the issue, the DOTr said it will coordinate with major e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, TikTok, Carousell, and Facebook Marketplace to purge abusive online sellers
The DOTr will also work closely with the Philippine National Police–Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) and install CCTV cameras in train stations, particularly in areas where Beep cards are sold, to catch hoarders in real-time.
Dizon assured commuters that there is no longer a shortage of Beep cards, following the delivery of 300,000 additional cards to the MRT-3, Light Rail line 1 (LRT-1), and LRT-2.
