MMDA eyes more stations for Pasig River ferry

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) plans to build more stations for the Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS), an official said yesterday.

A station in Intramuros will be erected again after the Plaza Mexico station was demolished in 2018 to give way to the China-funded Binondo-Intramuros bridge, according to PRFS central administrative officer Irene Navera.

Two more stations – Bridgetowne in Pasig City and another in Marikina City – would also be built, she added.

The new stations in Pasig and Marikina would be made as soon as the Marikina River becomes “navigable” after dredging activities along the river, Navera said.

So far, commuters can ride ferry boats and get off at stations in Pinagbuhatan, Kalawaan and San Joaquin in Pasig City; Guadalupe and Valenzuela in Makati City; Hulo in Mandaluyong Cityl and Lambingan, Sta. Ana, Lawton, Quinta Market and Escolta in Manila, PRFS head Romano Niñalga said.

The Maybunga and Polytechnic University of the Philippines stations remain closed while their pontoons or docking areas are being repaired.

The PRFS is awaiting the delivery of machines and other equipment to repair some of the 13 boats in its fleet, according to Navera. At present, only seven ferry boats that can carry up to 50 people are operational.

Niñalga also assured the public that ferry boat rides remain free and have been so since 2019.

The MMDA promotes the PRFS as an alternative mode of transport. Compared to up to three hours of land transport trips, journeying along the Pasig River can take a maximum of an hour and 41 minutes, according to Niñalga.