MRTC confident on rail loop

A Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) official expressed confidence yesterday that the government will honor its contract to link Metro Rail Transit to the Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) in Monumento, Caloocan City.

MRTC spokesperson Paul Daza said the extension plan, dubbed "Phase 2," is part of the company’s Build-Lease-Transfer contract for the MRT. "(Phase 2) is an integral part of the EDSA-MRT Phase 1 now operating between Taft Avenue in Pasay City and North Avenue in Quezon City serving an average of 220,000 commuters daily," he noted.

Daza was reacting to an announcement of the Economic Coordinating Committee that Phase 2 was remanded back to the National Economic Development Authority’s investment coordinating committee.

"Our company is in a position to fully implement the project since we have already invested millions in the engineering and civil works design and we are proud of the on-time, on-budget construction of Phase 1 and especially the fruitful partnership with government that made it possible," he maintained.

MRTC built the $655-million railway under a contract with the government through the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). Under the contract, the DOTC will lease and operate the MRT for 25 years. After this period, the facility will be turned over to the government.

Daza added Phase 2 has been planned since the inception of the EDSA railway facility. MRTC has predicted that the completion of Phase 2 will increase the ridership of both MRT and LRT by as much as 30 percent. Between these two railway facilities lies a five kilometer stretch.

He said that this interconnection provides Metro Manila with its first urban railway loop, making commuting more convenient and efficient. "It only makes sense to complete this link so we will be pursuing its completion vigorously and will continue to work with the national government to find the best financial arrangement," Daza added. – Sheila Crisostomo