Opening of 2 LRT stations postponed

MANILA, Philippines — The opening of two new LRT Line 2 stations this week will be moved to next month, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) announced yesterday.

The LRTA said the inauguration of the Marikina and Antipolo stations of the LRT-2 would be held on July 5 and open to passengers on July 6.

The inauguration of the LRT-2 stations was supposed to take place today.

“We regret to inform the riding public that the opening of the four-kilometer LRT-2 East Extension project was postponed to give the contractor enougth time to complete the signalling migration and integration works as well as other preparations,” LRTA administrator Reynaldo Berroya said.

The LRTA said the signalling system is vital in railway operations to ensure a safe and smooth train and traffic movement, controlled speed, accurate platform position, safe distance between trains, and automatic stop in case of technical breakdowns.

The LRTA said travel constraints due to the pandemic have restricted the arrival of foreign technical experts in signalling system and some equipment necessary to conduct the integration activities and monitor the compliance of the project with international safety standards.

“We cannot compromise and risk the safety of the passengers so we recommended the postponement to the Department of Transportation, to which the DOTr concurred,” Berroya said.

Full operations of the LRT-2 from Santolan to Recto will resume tomorrow.