The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) plans to bid out this year the contract for the construction of the P9-billion Light Rail Transit line 2 (LRT-2) West Extension project from Recto station to Pier 4 in Tondo, Manila.
Hernando Cabrera, LRTA administrator, said at the Laging Handa briefing yesterday the agency will pursue the construction of the LRT-2 West Extension as one of the priority projects of the new administration.
Cabrera said the project’s consultancy and engineering plan has been completed and the bidding for the contractor will start as soon as LRTA secures the budget from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) this year.
Out of the P9-billion total project cost, LRTA has around P2 billion and will ask for funds from the DBM for a multiyear contracting authority to start the bidding, Cabrera said.
The project involves the design and construction of the extension for the existing LRT-2, with a total length of approximately 3.02 kilometers from the Recto station extending westward to the Pier 4 area including the turn back track.
The three proposed additional stations are Tutuban that will be located next to the Cluster Mall west of Recto avenue and Asuncion street intersection, and Pier 4 t located 50 meters north of Zaragosa street.
LRTA said the project will include right-of-way acquisition and procurement of additional electromechanical requirements including five new four-car rolling stocks.
The project was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Board in 2015 and is targeted to start operations in the third quarter of 2025, based on LRTA data posted last January.
In July 2021, operations of the LRT-2 East Extension project began with two additional stations — Marikina-Pasig and Antipolo — that enable the rail line to accommodate an additional 80,000 passengers. Daily ridership increased to 320,000 from the previous 240,000 passengers.
The rail extension line also cuts the usual three-hour road travel time from Recto, Manila to Masinag, Antipolo to just 30 to 40 minutes.
Aside from the rail expansion project, LRTA is also mandated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to improve customer satisfaction through better services and reliable operations of the elevators, escalators and the ticketing system.
Meanwhile, LRTA announced that free rides at LRT-2 stations are set to start on August 22 up to November 4 this year, as part of the Department of Transportation’s “Libreng Sakay” for students program
Cabrera said after the free ride services, LRT-2 will revert back to the 20 percent discount for students.
