The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said that ridership on the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 grew by 30 percent in 2023 compared to a year ago.
The agency said MRT3 passengers reached 129.03 million last year which was higher than the 98.33 million passengers in 2022.
Transport Assistant Secretary for Railways and MRT-3 officer-in-charge Jorjette B. Aquino attributed the increase in ridership to the rail line’s enhanced reliability and effective maintenance program, alongside the increased return of more passengers to on-site work.
“The MRT-3 served as a reliable partner to more commuters who returned to on-site work in 2023, and needed a fast and dependable mode of transport. The continued effective maintenance and upkeep of MRT-3’s rehabilitated subsystems contributed to the improved reliability and efficiency of the rail line. Our trains now receive necessary preventive maintenance and upkeep on time, while other subsystems such as tracks, signaling, and power are also properly maintained,” Aquino said.
“All of these enhancements translated to improvements in MRT-3 operations. Travel time is now only 30 to 45 minutes from North Avenue Station to Taft Avenue Station. Headway is also at as low as 3.5 minutes to 4 minutes during peak hours, with 18 train sets operating,” she added.
The MRT-3 completed its massive rehabilitation in December 2021, which increased its operating speed from 30kph to the original 60kph. The rehabilitation was carried out by MRT-3’s original builder and maintenance provider, Sumitomo-MHI-TESP.
In May, the Department of Transportation extended MRT-3’s maintenance and rehabilitation contracts with Sumitomo, allowing for the sustained effective upkeep of the system until 2025.
Average daily ridership also increased by more than 30 percent in 2023 to 357,198 from the previous year’s 273,141.
Meanwhile, MRT-3 registered the highest single-day ridership on August 22, with a total of 450,298 passengers.
August was also the month with the highest number of passengers, totaling 11,618,005 trips. This was followed by 11,596,392 rides recorded in October; 11,394,480 in September; 11,189,372 in December; 11,009,312 in March; 10,982,341 in November; 10,878,445 in July; 10,713,219 in May; 10,466,112 in January; 10,404,646 in June; 10,054,538 in February; and 8,723,296 in April.
Meanwhile, a total of 220,706 passengers benefitted from MRT-3’s free ride programs for the year 2023.