THE management of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) on Tuesday admitted that work on the rehabilitation of its three stations affected by a fire in October 2019 has yet to start with just a month left before the original target completion date of June 2020.
LRTA spokesman Hernan Cabrera, speaking at the Laging Handa public briefing, said the bidding for the project will have to start from scratch.
“The contract should have been awarded to a qualified contractor. Work program was for three months to install a temporary power supply system. So supposedly, by the end of June we expected to be able to restore service on those three stations. Unfortunately, we got overtaken by the COVID 19 pandemic,” Cabrera said.
The affected stations are those in Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas.
Cabrera said the LRTA is hoping to select a contractor by June. “They would have July, August and until the end of September to put up the temporary power supply system so we can go ahead and resume services for Santolan, Katipunan and Anonas,” he said.
Cabrera said that even if the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) is lifted by the end of the month, the same three stations would remain cut off from the rest of the LRT-2 line.
“Once LRT is allowed to resume operations this coming June, we still cannot use those three stations. The line will still be limited to the run from Recto to Cubao and back. For that portion, we are all set,” he said.
The LRTA official assured the public that regular maintenance runs were conducted during the suspension of line service to keep the trains in good order. “Our train operators have been reporting to check the condition of our trains and make the necessary adjustments beforehand,” Cabrera added.
He cautioned the riding public that the resumption of LRT services does not mean a return to the old conditions before the risk of novel corona virus infection became a factor.
“We will implement our COVID-19 operational procedures which requires all passengers to wear facial mask, step into a foot bath, and undergo a temperature scan. Those who will register a temperature of 37.8 will be asked to leave,” he said.
Dispensers of alcohol and hand sanitizers would likewise be strategically deployed while station platforms have already been marked in consideration of the one-meter apart rule between persons.
Cabrera reiterated that based on the safety guidelines, the maximum capacity of each coach for LRT Line 2 will only be 160 passengers.
For each stop at the end of the service line, a sanitation team will disinfect the train coaches while they are negotiating the reversing track in Cubao. This will be done after completion of one loop.
