LUCENA CITY, Philippines — A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck northwest of Quezon province Tuesday afternoon, shaking several parts of Metro Manila and prompting temporary suspensions in rail operations.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the quake struck at 12:17 p.m., located 25 kilometers northwest of General Nakar with a depth of 11 kilometers. The tremor was attributed to movement along a local fault line running through the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Phivolcs noted that while the quake is not expected to cause significant structural damage, aftershocks may occur.
Transit disruptions and inspections
Following the quake, Metro Manila’s major railway systems implemented precautionary halts. Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) temporarily stopped operations around 12:30 p.m. as a safety measure.
“Our team is currently conducting safety checks at the stations, following standard protocol, to assess any potential effects of the recent earthquake,” Light Rail Manila Corp., the operator of LRT-1, said in a statement.
Similar protocols were observed by Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and LRT-2, which issued advisories shortly after the quake.
Operations resumed on LRT-1 by 1 p.m., while LRT-2 restarted services roughly five minutes earlier. MRT-3 resumed operations by 12:34 p.m., but implemented a temporary speed limit of 25 kph to allow for track inspections. Full-speed operations resumed at 1:38 p.m.
Quake intensities
Based on Phivolcs’ report at 2:23 p.m., the following intensities were recorded:
Intensity 5 (Strong): General Nakar
Intensity 4 (Moderately Strong): Infanta, Real (Quezon); Doña Remedios Trinidad (Bulacan); Tanay (Rizal); parts of Metro Manila including Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, and Marikina; Bacoor (Cavite); and San Pedro (Laguna)
Intensity 3 (Weak): Multiple areas including Quezon towns like Mauban, various parts of Rizal and Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija cities such as Cabanatuan and Palayan, and locations in Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga
Intensity 2 (Slightly Felt): More remote towns in Quezon, Aurora, Cavite, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Laguna
Intensity 1 (Scarcely Perceptible): Parts of Quezon, Laguna, southern Metro Manila, and Bulacan
While the earthquake did not result in significant damage, its widespread impact led to cautious responses across transportation and local agencies.
