The inauguration of the east extension of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 has been rescheduled to July 5 as the contractor has yet to complete the signaling migration and integration for the two new stations.
According to Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Adminstrator Reynaldo I. Berroya, the signaling system is a vital component to railway operations. Without it, train operators cannot guarantee the safety of the railway’s operations.
“We regret to inform the riding public that the long-awaited opening of the 4-km LRT-2 East Extension Project was postponed for at least two weeks to give maximum time for the contractor to complete the signaling migration and integration works, and other preparatory activities,” he said.
Berroya noted that the contractor, Marubeni-DMCI Consortium, expressed concerns on the need “or the safety case and full completion of the ongoing testing and commissioning of safety critical subsystems such as automatic train protection, interlocking, and Local Control Panel.”
Likewise, the pandemic has “restricted the arrival of foreign technical experts in signaling system and some critical equipment necessary to conduct the integration activity and monitor the compliance of the project with Railway Safety International Standards.”
“We cannot compromise and risk the safety of the passengers so we recommended the postponement of the operations to the Department of Transportation [DOTr] to which the DOTr concurred. The LRTA and DOTr agreed that the safety case shall be issued first before commencing operations. We at LRTA and DOTr are always committed to provide our passengers with a safe, reliable, and comfortable journey,” Berroya said.
Aside from the delay, the integration of the new signaling system will require the shutdown of the entire railway line for two consecutive weekends starting June 26 and June 27, and July 3 and July 4.