Manila Metro Rail Transit System

The Manila Metro Rail Transit System, also known as the MRT Line 3, MRT-3, or Metrostar Express, is a rapid transit system of Metro Manila, Philippines and is composed of a single line that runs in the general direction along the north and south lanes of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Although it has the characteristics of light rail, such as the type of rolling stock used, it is more akin to a rapid transit system owing to its total grade separation and high passenger throughput. Envisioned in the 1970s as part of the Metropolitan Manila Strategic Mass Rail Transit Development Plan, the thirteen-station, 16.9-kilometer (10.5 mi) line was the second rapid transit line to be built in Metro Manila when it started operations in 1999. It is currently operated by the Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC), a private company operating in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) under a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement. Serving close to 600,000 passengers on a daily basis, MRT-3 is the busiest among Metro Manila's three rapid transit lines, built with essential standards such as barrier-free access and the use of magnetic card tickets to better facilitate passenger access. However, total ridership significantly exceeds its built maximum capacity, with various solutions being proposed or implemented to alleviate chronic congestion in addition to the procurement of new rolling stock. However, these solutions have had a mixed effect on ridership, and experts have questioned the line's structural integrity owing to overcrowding on board the line despite pronouncements that the system in general is safe.