MANILA, Philippines — LRT-2 operations may return to normal within two to three months instead of the initial estimate of nine months, Light Rail Transit Authority spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said, citing the latest findings of technical personnel.
“[I]f we are going to do a component-by-component replacement instead of doing a full unit replacement, we might be able to bring the time table down to around two to three months only, instead of a nine-month minimum,” Cabrera said Sunday.
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LRT-2, which runs along five cities in Metro Manila and ferries close to 200,000 passengers, temporarily halted operations after a fire broke out and damaged a power rectifier at the Santolan Station on October 3.
All but three stations — Santolan, Katipunan and Anonas — have resumed operations.
Cabrera said their initial estimate was based on a “worst-case scenario” where the process of buying a replacement unit would take around a minimum of nine months.
“Right after the incident, we were not able to fully appreciate and make assessment on what were the damaged parts of the rectifier unit,” he said.
“But after we were given clearance by the Bureau of Fire Protection, we are now making a thorough assessment of the damaged assets.”
Cabrera also said LRT-2 operations starting today will open at 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.