LRT-2 extension to Antipolo completed by 2020 – Tugade

Transportation officials led by Secretary Arturo Tugade (7th from left) and local government officials join Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda (6th from left) during the ceremonial track laying for the LRT-2 extension project. The ceremony was held at the Emerald Station under construction along Marcos Highway corner Felix Avenue and Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue in Marikina City on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. INQUIRER.NET / GABRIEL PABICO LALU

MANILA, Philippines — The Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) extension project will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2020, Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade said on Tuesday.

During the ceremonial track laying and installation of the electromechanical system (EMS) at the Emerald Station in Marikina City, Tugade said that the extension would reduce travel time from Masinag in Antipolo City to Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila to 40 minutes.

“Imagine a situation where you will travel from Claro M. Recto to Masinag, to Emerald, that will take easily three hours.  With the construction of the two stations to be finalized by the fourth quarter of 2020, that travel time of three hours will be reduced to a maximum of 40 minutes,” Tugade said.

DOTr said the ceremony signals the commencement of the project’s final phase.

With the EMS installation, the signaling system, overhead catenary system, telecommunications system, and the power supply and distribution system which trains will use for its daily operations will be created.

The four-kilometer LRT-2 extension will feature two stations after the existing Santolan Station —  Emerald Station, situated along Marcos Highway and adjacent to the Gil Fernando and Felix Avenues and the Masinag Station, which lies near Sumulong Highway in Antipolo City.

Currently, west-bound commuters from Antipolo, Marikina and other parts of Rizal province take jeepneys or shuttles to LRT-2’s Santolan Station.

This, plus the LRT-2 extension’s construction has contributed to the traffic situation along  Marcos Highway.

READ: Motorists caught in heavy traffic along Marcos Highway

READ: MMDA to motorists: Brace for heavy traffic on Marcos Highway

According to Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Reynaldo Berroya, the construction of viaducts has already been completed, while the construction of the two stations is 78 percent done.

Overall, the project is 60 percent complete.

“Today’s track laying and EMS installation signify the culmination of the project and the realization of the much-awaited answer to the clamor of the commuting public from the eastern areas of Metro Manila for a fast, affordable and convenient means of mass transit system,” Berroya said in a statement.

Contractors Marubeni Corporation and DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI) on the other hand assured that the track would be of high quality.

“We understand the importance of this project to the Filipino people and we will make sure that we deliver a working, high-quality track works, and a functioning E&M system by the last quarter of 2020,” Marubeni Philippines President and CEO Naoto Tago said. /gsg