Foul play, terrorism ruled out in LRT-2 fire

MANILA, Philippines — The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has ruled out foul play and terrorism in the fire that led to the closure of three stations of the LRT Line 2 (LRT-2).

LRTA spokesman Hernando Cabrera said in an interview aired over GMA News yesterday that there is no indication that foul play or terrorism was involved in the fire, though the Bureau of Fire Protection is still investigating the incident.

Last Thursday’s fire started when a transformer located between the Katipunan and Anonas stations tripped. Since transformers work in series, the transformer at the Santolan depot also burned.

The fire led to the LRT-2’s shutdown. The three stations will be closed for repairs for nine months. Partial operations are set to resume tomorrow or on Tuesday, officials said.

The repair will take time since parts will have to be sourced from the United Kingdom, France and Japan. 

“We have to take into consideration the fact that the items that we would be requiring are not off-the-shelf items. They will have to be customized for our system. So this will take time,” he added

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday deployed 20 modernized public utility vehicles to transport commuters from Santolan to Cubao.

LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra said their office is open today to accept applications for special permits that would allow buses to ply the LRT-2 route.

He said the special permits would be good for six months or up until the LRT-2 resumes full operations. 

The LRT-2 sees an average of 200,000 passengers a day. Romina Cabrera