MANILA -- Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon instructed the management of the MRT-3 on Monday to look into extending its night service operations by an hour, and deploying at least one additional train during peak hours to ease the burden of commuters.

Currently, the last trip from North Avenue station is at 9:30pm while the last train coming from Taft Avenue departs at 10:09pm. It is still unclear when the extension will take effect.

Dizon gave the order after he conducted a surprise inspection of the train line during the early morning rush hour with DOTr Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan.

During the commute, Dizon himself had to endure long queues before boarding the train. Among the stations they visited were Ayala Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, and Taft Avenue.

“Kasi pagka mas maraming tren, mas mabilis ang pasok ng mga kababayan natin, mas magiging maluwag din yung mga tren natin,” Dizon said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

He is also banking on eventually getting to make use of the China-made Dalian trains, which were procured by the government back in 2014 but have been gathering dust ever since due to supposed incompatibility issues.

“Nung una sinasabi nila hindi daw pwede, pero ngayon mukhang may pag-asa tayo na magagamit yun. Pero habang wala pa yun, mukhang pwede tayong magpadagdag kahit isa o dalawang tren during peak hours sa MRT-3,” he added.

Other measures he wants to implement immediately include the repair of non-operational card payment terminals, and the construction of covered walkways to make it easier for the riding public to connect to other public transport terminals such as those for buses and jeepneys especially during the rainy season.

Commuter Roulette Tarlit said planned walkways are a good idea.

"Kasi siyempre kahit may payong ka hindi naman buong katawan mo matatakpan, mababasa ka pa rin. Tapos sasakay ka ng tren, kung malamig siya edi natatamaan ng hangin yung basa mong katawan. Talagang pagkauwi mo, sama ng pakiramdam talaga yung mararamdaman mo,” he said.

Meanwhile, another commuter welcomed Dizon’s initiative to try out the MRT-3 for himself but she believes it should not be a one-time thing.

“Hindi po sapat na isang beses lang po nila ginagawa kasi minsan po maluwag, minsan masikip and depende rin sa masasakyan mong bagong ng tren o bus kung malamig ba, maayos ba yung driver,” said Rin Daloria.