MANILA — The LRT-2 on Thursday suspended its operations after a power transformer caught fire, while the LRT-1 closed 2 of its stations due to mechanical issues.
The LRT-2 power transformer along Katipunan Avenue "tripped" and emitted smoke, according to Light Rail Transit Authority Spokesperson Hernando Cabrera.
Video captured by radio DZMM showed firemen dousing the burning device with water.
"Hindi natin mare-repair agad iyan kung talagang nasunog na s'ya. Ang nire-ready natin ngayon ay 'degraded operations.' We are looking at baka kung puwede ire-reduce natin iyong operations natin mula lang Recto hanggang Anonas [stations]... or most likely hanggang Cubao lang," Cabrera told DZMM.
(We can't repair that immediately if it really burned. We are readying our degraded operations. We are looking at whether or not we can reduce our operations temporarily from Recto to Anonas station or most likely, until Cubao only.)
The LRT-2 suspended its operations past 11:20 a.m.
Katipunan and Santolan stations, are unlikely to immediately resume operations, said Cabrera. The 2 stations are located near several schools like the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and Miriam College.
No one was injured in the fire and the LRTA did not receive any report that the fire was intentional, he said.
On Wednesday morning, the LRT-2 also stopped its operations for around 30 minutes due to a "train fault."
Meanwhile, the LRT-1 closed Balintawak and Roosevelt stations due to "mechanical issues" that are "being checked by our technicians onsite," its management said in tweet around 8:35 a.m.
"Our Monumento to Baclaran stations continue to be open and operational. We are hoping for your cooperation and understanding," it said.
"Rest assured we are doing our best to finish the repair in the soonest possible time and update everyone. We apologize again for the inconvenience."