Return to provisional operations of LRT Line 2 eyed by March or April

LONG WAIT Full operations of the LRT 2 are targeted by June next year. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — It may take around four months or more before power could be restored to the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2’s three stations that were shut down on Oct. 3 after two rectifiers (transformers) exploded and caught fire.

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said on Tuesday that it had asked its contractors to submit quotations for the train line’s damaged spare parts to meet the six-month deadline set by Congress for the resumption of provisional operations. Six contracts with a total approved budget of P562.9 million are at stake.

In an interview, LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said they were hoping to restore power to the shuttered stations—Anonas, Katipunan and Santolan—by March or April next year so that the maintenance of all trains could again be done at the Santolan depot.

Right now, maintenance of the five operational LRT 2 trains are being done on the tracks, in between stations. Two other trains are stuck between the shuttered stations and have not been operating since Oct. 3.

Cabrera added that they were targeting June for the reopening of the three stations to the public. At the moment, the LRT 2 runs only between Recto and Araneta Center-Cubao stations.

The LRTA board has been meeting twice a month to settle funding and procurement issues for the facilities damaged by the explosion and fire.

They have decided to resort to emergency negotiated procurement, meaning, the agency will directly negotiate contracts with its existing contractors and suppliers instead of holding a bidding.

Initially, Cabrera said, the board intended to acquire the existing rectifiers at the yet to be completed Common Station, But these were below the LRT 2’s specifications of 1,500 volts.

So far, the LRTA has divided the damaged components into four facilities: power, fiber optics, telecommunications and signaling.

The first six requests for quotation seen by the Inquirer sought to remedy the first two.

In the first contract, the LRTA asked Railworks Corp. to submit a proposal for the restoration of 120 single-mode fiber optic cables with a one-year warranty, under a P2.5 million approved budget for the contract (ABC).

In the second contract, the LRTA asked Autre Porte Technique, Inc.-Multi-Scan Corp.-Opus Land Inc. Joint Venture (Amsco JV) to repair and restore two train sets within 125 calendar days, with an ABC of P13 million.

The third contract with an ABC of P235 million covers the restoration of rectifiers 4, 5 and 6 and is part of the four packages meant to fix the damaged transformers and restore power to the three stations.