LRT2 East Extension project 60% complete, says DOTr

The Light Rail Transit Line 2's (LRT2) East Extension project is already 60 percent completed, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the DOTr said the package 1 of the project, which involved the construction of a viaduct, was completed in March 2017.

Package 2, which involved the construction of two stations, is 78 percent done as of March this year.

With the reported progress in the two packages of the entire project, the DOTr said the LRT2's east extension is 60 percent completed.

“The first two phases of the project had a smooth implementation. Today’s track laying and EMS installation signify the culmination of the project and the realization of the much-awaited answer to the clamor of the commuting public from the eastern areas of Metro Manila for a fast, affordable and convenient means of mass transit system,” LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya said.

The four-kilometer extension to the existing 13.8-kilometer LRT  line is expected to transport an additional 80,000 passengers daily from the current average daily ridership of 240,000, with two new stations, namely, Emerald Station in Marikina, and Masinag Station at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.

On the other hand, the railway track laying and the electromechanical system (EMS) installation comprising the package 3 of the project has kicked of Tuesday, April 16, 2019.

The railway track laying and EMS installation signal the transition of the project into its final phase.

The EMS is comprised of the signaling system, overhead catenary system, telecommunications system, and the power supply and distribution system.

The winning contractor, the consortium of Marubeni Corporation and DM Consunji Inc., is set to start the track works and the integration of the EMS into the existing system, and these are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2020.

“To give the Filipinos a comfortable life as President Rodrigo Duterte directed, we at the DOTr are working on ways to efficiently and effectively ferry our commuters. The LRT2 East Extension project ranks among such projects, for this shall ease the travel of our kababayans coming from Rizal to Manila. Once this is completed, travel time from Recto to Masinag will be reduced to 40 minutes compared to up to three hours travel via bus or jeepney,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Currently, the LRT2 System has 11 stations, which traverses the East-West routes of Metro Manila. —KBK, GMA News