MANILA, Philippines — Transport authorities are fielding public utility vehicles to ferry passengers affected by the temporary shutdown of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 operations.
Commuters scrambled to ride packed buses, jeepneys and UV Express Monday morning. Some 200,000 passengers use the LRT-2—the only train system in Metro Manila running from east to west—daily.
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In an effort to assist commuters, the Light Rail Transit Authority said 10 point-to-point modernized PUVs will be available from Santolan in Pasig to Legarda in Manila and vice versa from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily. Riders will pay P25.
ADVISORY: As of today, please be advised that 10 point to point modernized PUVs will be available from Santolan to Legarda and back. Meanwhile, @MMDA and Phil Coast Guard will continue to provide free bus rides from 7 AM to 7 PM from Santolan to Cubao and back. Thank you.
— LRT2 (@OfficialLRTA) October 7, 2019
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Philippine Coast Guards are also providing free bus rides from Santolan to Cubao and vice versa from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board had also issued special permits to buses allowing them to travel from Santolan to Cubao. These buses are from Airfreight Express Bus, Armi Josh Bus, Corimba Bus, Quiapo Bus, Earth Star Express Inc. and RRCG Transport.
Julius Dalay, an urban planner and chair of advocacy group Commuters of the Philippines, told Philstar.com last week that the government should take the shutdown of LRT-2 operations as an opportunity to test run the modernization of PUVs “hand in hand with current jeepneys.”
For nine months, there will be no train operations in Santolan, Katipunan and Anonas stations after one of the line’s transformer burst into flames last week.
The partial commercial operation of the LRT-2 from Cubao to Recto was supposed to start Monday but it did not push through. Reynaldo Berroya, LRTA administrator, said the management was “not able to complete the test runs and safety checks of the telecommunication system.”
LRTA said it would partially resume train operation from Cubao to Recto once the signalling, telecommunications and power supply systems, and the trains are cleared and in normal condition.
The 16.75-kilometer line serves 11 stations. LRT-2’s western terminus is Recto station in Manila, while its eastern terminus is Santolan station. — Gaea Katreena Cabico