LRT-2 reopens Santolan, Katipunan, Anonas stations
The Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) reopened its Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas stations Friday, Jan. 22, after over a year since a fire shut down its operations.
General Reynaldo Berroya, administrator of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said all appropriate tests have been conducted to confirm the stability and reliability of the provisional power supply for the reopening of the three eastern stations to passengers.
"We will resume whole line operations with limitations and restrictions while the full restoration and repairs of the fire-damaged Rectifier Substation (RSS) Nos. 5 and 6, signaling and telecommunications are simultaneously being undertaken," Berroya said on Thursday.
According to Berroya, the LRTA's Safety and Security Division, Engineering, Contractor, and Consultants recommended the reopening of the closed stations after conducting all necessary activities and tests and met the required parameters for "safe and reliable operations."
Operations from Santolan to Anonas stations have been suspended since October 2019 after a fire damaged two rectifier substations in Katipunan and Anonas.
The resumption of the railway's full operations was initially set in June 2020 but was delayed as community lockdowns slowed down repairs.
Despite the resumption of LRT-2's full line operations, Berroya appealed to train passengers to allot additional hours in their travel as the headway, or the time before another train arrives at the station will take an average of 14 minutes.
Berroya said this was due to a speed restriction of 30 kilometers per hour which needs to be implemented as the train approaches Anonas Station.
With the speed restriction, travel time from Santolan to Recto stations will take more than 35 minutes compared to 28 minutes when the system was in normal and good condition.
"LRTA assures the riding public that the restoration and repair works will be fast-tracked for LRT-2 to resume normal operations," he said,
The LRTA chief said they are expediting the restoration of down trains to deploy more on the line's fleet.
"Fielding more trains will reduce the current headway and add more passengers to our current 32,000 average daily ridership as affected by the pandemic restrictions," Berroya added.
Meanwhile, train passengers were reminded to adhere to all the safety protocols being implemented inside stations and trains to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"We are committed to keeping our passengers safe while riding the LRT-2 so we strictly adhere to the minimum health standards prescribed by the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases," Berroya said.
These include the mandatory wearing of face mask and face shield, temperature checking, regulated entry of passengers, physical distancing, and the "No Talking" policy.