LRT-2 to start service at 4:30 a.m.

The Light Rail Transit Line 2 in Metro Manila is opening its services earlier in the day to cater to commuters seeking to avoid the morning rush.

The Light Rail Transit Authority, which operates the LRT-2, said first commercial operations for the train line that runs from Santolan to Recto would start at 4:30 a.m. beginning July 3. Previously, the first train ride was at 5 a.m.

LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya said the adjustment was made to align with current trends and to complement the service schedule of the LRT-1 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3, which both open at 4:30 a.m.

“We have observed that train riders have shifted to new commuting patterns these days. They prefer to leave earlier to avoid the monstrous traffic and the hustle and bustle of peak hours,” Berroya said in a statement.

Based on 2016 ridership data, about 800,000 commuters use LRT-1 and LRT-2 daily. Around 20,000 or 10 percent of regular LRT-2 commuters take the LRT-1 and 10,000 or 5 percent of them take the MRT-3 daily, the LRTA said.

LRT-1 commuters can transfer from Doroteo Jose Station to the LRT-2’s Recto Station, while MRT-3 passengers have easy access to the LRT-2’s Araneta Center-Cubao Station from its Cubao Station.

“A considerable number of LRT-2 commuters are from the nearby cities and provinces of Rizal and most of them take the jeepneys and FX going to Santolan station, the station in the eastern terminus of the LRT-2 and is the first and last station for trains headed to and from Recto, respectively,” LRTA noted in its statement.

Berroya urged commuters to leave earlier in the day “to avoid long queuing and crowded trains during morning peak hours, which is from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.”

Record shows that more than 74,000 passengers take the LRT-2 during peak hours.

Berroya also assured the riding public that LRTA was working “double time” to hasten the rehabilitation projects to increase train’s capacity and reliability.

The LRTA owns and manages LRT-2 and oversees the performance of Light Rail Manila Corp., the private operator and maintenance contractor of the LRT-1 system that runs from Baclaran through Roosevelt in Quezon City.