Gov’t starts P2-B LRT 2 extension project

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will begin today the construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 East Extension Project, paving the 4.2-kilometer line to Masinag in Antipolo City.

The extended line will begin operations by the third quarter of 2017.

The P2.27 billion project would help serve an additional 75,000 daily passengers living in densely populated parts of Rizal, the DOTC said in a statement.

“The LRT 2 system is a crucial transportation service that hundreds of thousands of passengers rely on. We are pleased to extend its scope to even more stakeholders in the eastern part of Metro Manila,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said.

The Masinag Extension covers the construction of a four-kilometer elevated viaduct from Santolan, Pasig City to Masinag, Antipolo City.

Two additional stations will be built: the Emerald Station in Cainta, Rizal, and the Masinag Station at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City, the DOTC said.

Apart from the construction of the eastward extension to Masinag, two other major contracts are up for bidding to further improve and modernize LRT 2 services.

An operations and maintenance (O&M) contract is already in the procurement process, and is intended to provide riders with customer-oriented services and well-maintained facilities.

Meanwhile, another railway extension project, located on the western end, is now in the pipeline after it was approved by the National Economic Development Authority Board last month.

The LRT 2 West Extension project will extend the line from its current end-station in Recto up to Pier 4 in Manila.

The DOTC is in the process of bidding out the entire operations and maintenance contract of the LRT-2.

Earlier this year, it declared consortiums led by San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Aboitiz Equity Ventures and DMCI Holdings as qualified to participate in the auction.

San Miguel partnered with Korea Railroad Corp., DMCI unit D.M Consunji Inc. partnered with Tokyo Metro Co. of Japan, Aboitiz Equity partnered with Singapore’s SMRT Transportation and Light Rail Manila of Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific partnered with France’s RATP Dev.