The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) assured the safety of LRT Line 1 passengers as it began to implement increased passenger capacity to support economic recovery.
The LRT-1 management initially adjusted on Oct. 19 the line’s passenger capacity to 30 percent, which will gradually increase up to 50 percent in line with the directive of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to increase maximum passenger capacity of trains.
To assure passenger safety, the LRMC, which is the private operator and maintenance provider of the LRT-1, emphasized the importance of the following “seven commandments” of public health measures proposed by medical experts:
1. Wear face masks and face shields;
2. No talking and making telephone calls;
3. No eating;
4. Keep PUVs well- ventilated;
5. Conduct of frequent disinfection;
6. No passengers with COVID-19 symptoms are to be allowed inside the public transportation; and
7. Observe appropriate physical distancing.
“Rail public transportation is an enabler of our consumer driven economy. Our mission remains to provide safe transportation, and we achieve this using best in class safety protocols,” LRMC President Juan Alfonso said in a statement.
Alfonso added that since the railway system resumed operations under the general community quarantine (GCQ), above-minimum health and safety measures have been enforced for the welfare of both passengers and employees.
These measures include the “No face mask, no face shield, no entry” and “No talking and no answering of phone calls” policies, diligent temperature checks, ensuring proper ventilation inside trains, among others.
“In addition, we study the passenger behavior and target disinfection on the places most in contact the passengers. These are measured by our team weekly, and adjustments are made to the priority areas for cleaning. I can assure our commuters that the LRT-1 system is safe,” Alfonso pointed out.
As part of its commitment to safety, the LRMC said that its Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality (HSEQ) Department is also conducting its own study on the safety protocols for the LRT-1 trains.
HSEQ officer-in-charge Dr. Louernie De Sales said the firm performed a dispersion experiment using a Glo Germ Mist, commonly used to simulate bacteria of 0.5 micron size, to measure droplet dispersion inside trains and stations.
“This study is limited only to the measurement of respiratory droplet dispersion, and the airborne transmission of COVID-19 was not taken into consideration yet. An experiment using SARS-CoV-2 or similar specimens was not carried out for the safety of the researchers and the participants,” De Sales explained.
De Sales said that the study, which aims to support the safety in local trains systems, is currently undergoing peer review by the firm’s partners from the University of the Philippines and will be published once done.
While waiting for the results, the LRMC added that other safety protocols remained in place including the installation of disinfection mats, impermeable plastic barriers on train seats, regular disinfection of all trains and stations, implementation of contactless transactions, and strict crowd control.
It has also pioneered the use of digital and mobile technology through its ikotMNL mobile app for information dissemination, convenient trip planning, and contact tracing of passengers.
On Monday, apart from the LRT-1, other Metro train lines including MRT-3, LRT-2, and PNR have also initially increased their maximum passenger capacities to 30 percent.