THE Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is spending P2 billion to ramp up the preliminary works for the 3.7-kilometer Light Rail Transit line 2 (LRT-2) West Extension project.
Hernando Cabrera, LRTA administrator, told reporters in an interview last week the Authority has secured a P2-billion budget out of the P11 billion funds needed to start the construction of the project.
There were no comparative figures on the ROW spending in the east extension of the LRT 2 but based on Cabrera’s statement, the P2 billion represents about 18 percent of the total project cost.
Cabrera said P2 billion is sufficient to cover consulting and preliminary works in preparation for the construction, pending the release of the remaining funds by the government.
“We are now focusing on the preliminary activities, the right-of-way (acquisition), that is our focus now,” Cabrera said.
The preliminary activities involve relocating the informal settlers and providing utilities a new location.
In line with this, LRTA said it is finalizing the signing of the memoranda of agreement with Manila Electric Company, Manila Water Co. Inc. and telecommunications companies for the relocation of the utilities.
According to LRTA, its priority is to clear the area for the alignment, ensuring that once the funds are provided — whether through domestic funding or a government loan — construction of the project can proceed and be completed on schedule.
“Our priority is to clear the area and ensure proper attention is given to all projects, as delays often occur due to right-of-way issues,” Cabrera said.
The project involves the construction of three additional stations: Tutuban, Divisoria and Pier 4.
The project alignment will start from the existing Recto Station tail track which passes through Recto Avenue (C1) and will terminate at Pier 4 along R-10 Road.
Once the project is completed, it is projected to add 16,000 more passengers daily.
Cabrera did not provide the target date to begin the construction, saying LRTA is still waiting for the release of the budget.
In July 2021, LRTA started operating the 3.79-km elevated LRT-2 East Extension, adding two new stations, Marikina-Pasig and Antipolo, to the existing line between Santolan in Pasig and Recto in Manila.