MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) reminded commuters on Tuesday that the trains servicing Metro Manila and nearby provinces will follow maintenance schedules during the Holy Week and will be closed at certain times.
According to a DOTr advisory posted on Facebook, the four railway systems — Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) and Line 2 (LRT 2), the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) — will stop operating at certain times from Holy Tuesday to Easter Sunday — that is, from March 30 to April 4.
LRT 1 will follow normal operating hours on Monday and Tuesday, or March 29 and 30, which means the first trips will leave Balintawak and Baclaran by 4:30 a.m., and the last trips will be at 10:15 p.m. at Balintawak and 10 p.m. at Baclaran.
LRT 1 will be closed from Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday, or March 31 to April 4, and resume regular operations would on Monday, April 5.
LRT 2 will follow normal operating hours on Monday, March 29. The first trips from Recto and Santolan will depart by 5:00 a.m. and the last trips will be at 9 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., respectively.
But on Tuesday, March 30, both Recto and Santolan will have earlier last trips, which will leave at 8 p.m.
LRT 2 will also be closed from Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday, or March 31 to April 4.
MRT 3 will be closed from Holy Tuesday to Easter Sunday, or March 30 to April 4. Regular trips will resume on Monday, April 5.
PNR will be operational until Wednesday, March 31. But on Maundy Thursday, or April 1, only the Calamba-Tutuban trip will be available. It will be closed from Good Friday to Black Saturday, or April 2 to 3.
On Easter Sunday, or April 4, the following trips will be available:
- Tutuban to Alabang and vice versa
- Tutuban to Calamba and vice versa
- Tutuban to Gov. Pascual and vice versa
- Governor Pascual to Bicutan and vice versa
- Naga to Sipocot and vice versa
“Kindly take note of the maintenance schedule, and the scheduled resumption of operations, in order to plan your travel accordingly. And please do not forget or ignore the health and safety protocols that are in place, when you travel,” the DOTr said in its advisory.
LRT 1 is the rail system that extends from the Roosevelt Station on EDSA in Quezon City to the Monumento Station in Caloocan, going through the heart of Manila until it reaches the Baclaran Station in Pasay.
LRT 2 extends from the Recto Station in Manila to the eastern part of the metropolis, towards Marikina and Pasig in Santolan.
MRT 3 runs along EDSA and provides access to several business establishments along the country’s busiest thoroughfare.