LRT operations suspended for Lent

The Light Rail Transit Administration has announced the suspension of the LRT lines 1 and 2 during the Holy Week to give way to the annual maintenance work and early completion of time-critical projects.

The LRT-1 operations will be suspended for three days starting today up to Black Saturday. Commercial operation will resume on April 20, Easter Sunday, at 5 a.m.

On the other hand, LRT-2 operations will be suspended for four days starting today up to April 20. Commercial operation will resume on April 21 at 6 a.m.

"These maintenance works are geared towards improving LRT services," LRTA administrator Teddy Cruz Jr. said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced that the passenger capacity of the LRT-1 might double this year following the rehabilitation and expansion work on the system.

Transport Secretary Leandro Mendoza noted that last year, LRT capacity was 27,000 passengers per hour, or a total of 106.0 million passengers annually.

Within this year, the LRT is expected to hit the 40,000 passengers per hour mark, he said.

Under the LRT modernization plan, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) will acquire more airconditioned coaches to cut down the waiting time in each station.

The LRTA said old trains will also be rehabilitated to make them at par with the brand new ones.

LRT-1 runs along the stretch of Rizal and Taft Avenues from Monumento in Caloocan City to Baclaran, Parañaque. LRT operations began in 1984 and as such, many of the parts needed are now obsolete and difficult to source.

The LRT is also eyeing the extension of the line all the way to Bacoor in Cavite to complement the growing population in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna. – Sheila Crisostomo