INIULAT ng Department of Transportation (DOTr) na 60 percent nang kumpleto ang Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) East Extension project.
Ayon sa DOTr, ang package 1 ng proyekto, na kinapapalooban ng konstruksiyon ng viaduct, ay natapos noong March 2017, habang ang Package 2, ang pagtatayo ng dalawang estasyon, ay 78 percent nang tapos hanggang nitong Marso.
“The first two phases of the project had a smooth implementation. Today’s track laying and EMS installation signify the culmi-nation 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,” wika ni LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya.
Ang four-kilometer extension sa umiiral na 13.8-kilometer LRT line ay inaasahang maghahatid sa karagdagang 80,000 pasahe-ro araw-araw mula sa kasalukuyang average daily ridership na 240,000, na may dalawang bagong estasyon, ang Emerald Station sa Marikina, at ang Masinag Station sa Masinag Junction sa Antipolo City.
Samantala, ang railway track laying at ang electromechanical system (EMS) installation na bumubuo sa Package 3 ng proyekto ay nagsimula na kahapon, Abril 16.
“The railway track laying and EMS installation signal the transition of the project into its final phase,” ayon sa DOTr.
Ang EMS ay kinabibilangan ng signaling system, overhead catenary system, telecommunications system, at power supply and distribution system.
“To give the Filipinos a comfortable life as President Rodrigo Duterte directed, we at the DOTr are working on ways to effi-ciently 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,” sabi ni Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
Sa kasalukuyan, ang LRT2 System ay may 11 stations, na bumibiyahe sa East-West routes ng Metro Manila.