The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is asking for a budget of over P8 billion to start the bidding for the construction of the Light Rail Transit line 2 (LRT-2) West Extension project before the end of the year.
Hernando Cabrera, LRTA administrator, said at the Laging Handa briefing the agency needs P10 billion for the project’s construction but out of the total budget, only P1.7 billion has been given to the agency.
Cabrera said LRTA is asking the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department Budget and Management (DBM) for additional funds to start the bidding for the project contractor within the year and award the contract by next year.
He said the schedules will still depend on the budget to be given by DBM.
The LRT-2 West Extension project alignment will start from the existing Recto Station tail track which passes through Recto avenue (Circumferential Road 1) and will terminate in Pier 4 on Radial Road 10.
It involves building the 3.7 kilometers west extension with three proposed additional stations — Tutuban, Divisoria and Pier 4. Once completed, the project is seen to add 16,000 more passengers each day to the current system.
The project will expand further the 13.52-km LRT-2 from Recto, Manila to Santolan, Pasig City. In July last year, the LRT-2 East Extension project started operating with two additional stations — Marikina-Pasig and Antipolo.
In a related development, the DOTr clarified in a statement the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) is not for sale but the agency is considering the possibility of turning over the rail system’s operation and maintenance (O&M) to the private sector.
“Railway systems should remain the most affordable and safest mode of mass transit in the country,” said DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.
Operations of railways in the metropolis — LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3 — continue to be subsidized by government to keep fare levels affordable.
“We are looking at partnering with private rail operators for DOTr MRT-3’s operations and maintenance under the same scheme with LRT-1 with the rail lines assets remaining government owned,” added Bautista.
Privatizing MRT-3’s O&M is expected not only to enhance efficiency and safety but also to reduce operational costs to maintain affordable fares, DOTr said.
To recall, Metro Rail Transit Corp. signed a build-lease-transfer agreement in August 1997 to construct the mass rail transport system along Edsa. It took effect in 1999 and is deemed valid for 25 years, expiring in 2025.
