Duterte: MRT-3 rides free from March 28 to April 30

MANILA, Philippines — Commuters may enjoy free rides from the MRT-3 for over a month starting March 28.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday announced that rides in the train system will be free starting March 28 until April 30.

He made the announcement during the inauguration of the MRT-3 rehabilitation project in the Shaw Boulevard station in Mandaluyong City.

“[Transport] Secretary Tugade and that the MRT-3 rides will be free — hindi naman forever — from March 28 to April 30, 2022,” Duterte said in his speech during the ceremony.

With the rehabilitated rail system, the MRT-3 has 18 to 22 operating trains from the previous 12 to 15. The train speed has also increased from 25 kilometers per hour to 60 kph and the interval between train arrivals has improved to eight to 10 minutes.

“This progress will decrease, if not altogether stop the number of unloading incidents in our stations,” he said.

The MRT-3 has also been made “more accessible to everyone,” Duterte said, as elevators and escalators are now fully operational.

Duterte thanked the Japan government for its assistance in the rehabilitation project. He said Japan “has always been a friend, an active partner of the Philippines in our development projects.”

With the new and improved MRT-3, Duterte assured the commuting public that service interruptions are “a thing of the past.”

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