For me, this was a total first. Before then, getting access to take photos there was about as easy as finding an empty seat during rush hour—basically unheard of. It was honestly fascinating, though; this is still the only fully covered elevated railway depot in the whole Philippines, and back then it was a rare chance to see exactly how it all worked behind the scenes.
Our guide was the wonderful Lysa (last name sadly lost to the fog of time—my bad!), who walked us through every corner and very kindly let us snap away to our hearts’ content, preserving it all for posterity.
Fun fact: this was way before the arrival of the infamous Class 3100 trains from Dalian, China—you know, the ones that turned out to be such a spectacular “investment.” Fast forward a whole decade, and those trains are still mostly a mystery. I’ve only ever spotted one set actually running. Even Wikipedia confirms it: right now, only one set works properly, and it only comes out to play when it’s nice and quiet, off-peak. Truly the definition of “value for money.”
I might share the very rare sightings I’ve caught in future updates on the website… that is, assuming I can muster up enough enthusiasm to keep documenting things in an environment that feels just a little bit, shall we say, hostile to anyone with a camera and an interest in history.
A quick recap of the star of the show:
The MRT-3 is Metro Manila’s famous elevated railway, running the length of EDSA from North Avenue all the way down to Taft Avenue. Dreamed up back in the 90s to save us all from the legendary Manila traffic (ambitious, right?), construction kicked off in 1996 and it finally opened fully in 2000. It was built as a joint project between the government and private firms, with plenty of Japanese expertise and tech thrown into the mix.
Over time, it became one of the busiest rail lines in Southeast Asia, ferrying millions of commuters every single day. By the 2010s, though, years of being overworked and, let’s be honest, under-maintained really started to show. Thankfully, a major rehabilitation finished in 2021 gave it a full overhaul—new tracks, upgraded trains, better signals and stations—and miraculously, it actually works properly now. Progress!
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If you even find some moderate amount of enjoyment would you consider giving us even a little bit of a
donation here?
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Pretty please :-)
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029 025 sitting over maintenance pits at the depot.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and four below.
006 and 011 elevated off their bogies for other maintenance.
Photos: Brad Peadon
017 elevated off it's bogies.
Photo: Brad Peadon
053 005 also sitting over maintenance pits at the depot.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Ms Lysa was are MRT3 guide on the day. We cannot thank her enough for her kindness and generosity.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Bogie off a MRT3 1G set.
Photo: Brad Peadon
MRT3 1G 004.
Photo: Brad Peadon
MRT3 1G 053.
Photo: Brad Peadon
MRT3 1G 031.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Class leader 001 sits in the depot.
Now renumbered 3001, she was noted operating at Kamuning during May 2026.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below
MRT3 1G 005 makes a move around the depot.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Class leader MRT3 1G 001 again.
Photo: Brad Peadon
MRT3 1G 042.
Photo: Brad Peadon
And we finish up the first part of this story with MRT3 1G 060.
Photo: Brad Peadon
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Lysa from MRT3.
Brian Young for organising.
Semi-Retired Foamer Media & Publishing
wikipedia.org
Philippine Railway Historical Society (SRF Media)
Philippine Association of Rail Enthusiasts
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Website.
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