LRT-1 set new ridership record during Black Nazarene feast

MANILA, Philippines - The Light Rail Transit (LRT) posted a new record in terms of number of passengers during the Feast of Black Nazarene last Friday, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said Sunday. LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles said some 582,989 passengers took the trains last Friday – the highest passenger volume in 25 years. Robles said Friday’s ridership beat the old record set on December 16, 1996 with 542, 605 passengers in its LRT Line 1 (Baclaran-Monumento System). Likewise, the agency has also registered a new combined ridership record of 785, 674 passengers for both its Line 1 and Recto-Santolan System (Line 2), surpassing its 2007 record of 542,605. With the heavy influx of passengers, the LRTA’s Operation Department had to deploy some of its train crew supervisors to drive the trains and augment its train operators for the continuous fielding of its 31 trains at two minutes interval. Robles attributed the new record to the LRTA’s Capacity Expansion Project (Phase II), which was completed in 2007, as well as the speedy rehabilitation of all down trains, some of which were inoperative for 15 years already. “Because of CAPEX II and our rehabilitation efforts, we now have more trains to service passengers and bigger station with more tellers’ booths to accommodate them,” Robles said. He added that allowing the entry of barefoot devotees in consideration of the customary celebration of the Black Nazarene Day also helped in setting the new record. - GMANews.TV