The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) is set to re-file its petition today, July 3, for a fare adjustment, before the Department of Transportation (DOTr)'s Rail Regulatory Unit (RRU), Undersecretary for Railways Cesar B. Chavez announced. Before, MRT-3’s fare hike petition was deferred due to “infirmities in complying with the requirements and procedure.” Like the Light Rail Transit LRT-1 and LRT-2, no fare adjustment was approved for the MRT-3 for the last eight years, he noted. LRT-1 and LRT-2 are raising their fares next month. DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista approved the implementation of the fare adjustment, which consists of an additional P2.29 boarding fare and P0.21 distance fare per kilometer, from the existing P11.00 boarding fare and P1.00 distance fare. The railways deserve a modest fare increase after their petitions were denied for a long time, Usec. Chavez argued. The actual rates for end-to-end travel at the LRT-2 from Antipolo to Recto costs P178 per passenger, but the operator only charges P30, he pointed out. "The government subsidizes every passenger at the cost of P148 per head from end to end," he maintained. The same can be said of the actual cost of end-to-end train rides at the LRT-1, that's why its operator, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), has been asking for a fare increase since 2016. “The LRT-1 operator deserves a modest fare increase now after they were denied of this in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. The same was true for LRT-2,” Usec. Chavez underscored. “This approved fare increase is also on the right side of the future of rail system. It's only necessary, beneficial and practical for both the LRT operators and commuters, but also for the country as well.” The train fare adjustment would mean more trains running and passengers being served better, according to the DOTr. Nonetheless, commuters see the fare increases as oppressive in this difficult times.