3 LRT-2 stations set to reopen

MANILA, Philippines — Three stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) that were shut down following a fire last year will reopen soon, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said yesterday.

The Santolan, Katipunan and Anonas stations are slated to resume operations in the “first quarter of 2021,” the DOTr said in a statement.

The stations were closed after fire hit two power rectifiers or transformers in October 2019.

Also, two stations of the LRT-2’s East Extension project – Marikina and Antipolo – would be operational starting on April 26, as suggested by DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“Let us finish it right away so the Filipino people can enjoy these stations,” he told Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa, fellow DOTr officials, representatives from project proponents D. M. Consunji Inc. and Marubeni Corp. and aid partner Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The LRT-2, with the two additional stations, could reduce travel time from Recto Avenue in Manila to Masinag in Antipolo City to 40 minutes from three hours, Tugade said.

The opening of the Marikina and Antipolo stations could add 80,000 more passengers to the current LRT-2 ridership of 240,000 passengers, he added.