The ‘trolley boys’ who dance with death on Manila’s railway carts
- Scores of commuters are propelled to their destinations daily by so-called ‘trolley boys’ pushing metal carts that ply a few segments of the sprawling capital's railways
- Incredibly, casualties are rare. The same cannot be said of close calls
As soon as the train rumbles past, the men heave their home-made pushcarts back onto the tracks and passengers hop aboard – cheating death and beating Manila’s notorious traffic.
Scores of commuters in the city of about 12 million are propelled to their destinations daily by so-called “trolley boys” pushing metal carts that ply a few segments of the sprawling capital’s railways.
Passengers save time and money – paying just 10 pesos (20 US cents) a trip – but must face the constant risk of being crushed by a passing locomotive if they or the trolley boys don’t move fast enough.
“Our job here is very dangerous, you need to know what time the train will pass by,” said 57-year-old Rene Vargas Almeria, who has been at it for nearly 20 years.
Commuter trains travel nearly two dozen times a day along this 1.2km stretch of rail in the Santa Mesa district, where authorities grudgingly tolerate the carts due to their popularity.
The trolley boys also ply a few other stretches of Manila’s battered rail system, that carries an average of 45,000 passengers a day.