The two additional stations of the P9.5 B Light Rail Transit (LRT)-2 East Extension will start operating next month, April 27, 2021.
The two new stations – the Marikina Station (in front of the Sta. Lucia mall and Robinsons) and the Antipolo Station (in front of SM Masinag) – will have a soft opening on April 26 before immediately starting commercial operations the next day.
As of end January 2021, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) reported that the project is 93.42 per cent complete.
“In less than two months, these new stations will operate," LRTA Spokesperson Atty. Hernando Cabrera confirmed in recent Department of Transportation (DOTr) virtual briefing.
Earlier, DOTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade stressed that the stations must be finished immediately so that the riding public can benefit from the project at the soonest possible time.
The two new stations will serve commuters from Recto, Manila going to Masinag, Antipolo, and back. Travel time from Recto to Masinag will be shortened, from three hours to 40 minutes.
Once completed, the LRT-2 East Extension can accommodate an additional 80,000 passengers daily, boosting the entire rail line’s current daily ridership to 240,000 passengers.
The Package 1 of the project, which involves the construction of the eastbound and westbound viaducts, has been finished, according to Cabrera.
Package 2, which involves the design and construction of stations, is also substantially complete.
Meanwhile, works are ongoing for Package 3, which covers the project's electro-mechanical system, rails, power supply, telecommunications, and signaling system.
The rail line’s electro-mechanical works are being fast-tracked to meet the target date of the project’s April 2021 inauguration.