Antipolo commuters received 20 discounted buses, a feasibility study, and the news that their train line will soon belong to somebody else.
PASIG, Philippines (ManilaNews.PH) – Commuters on the LRT-2 line received a three-part relief package this week: 20 buses with discounted fares, a feasibility study into whether a bus can travel along a road, and the news that the whole train line will soon be bid out to a private operator, presumably including the trains that are not currently running.
The trouble began when the Light Rail Transit Authority announced limited train availability due to ongoing upgrades and repairs. Philstar reported that Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said 8 of the line’s 10 trains were operational, with one being fitted with a new train operating control panel and another under repair. Waiting times lengthened and stations grew crowded, the Inquirer having earlier warned that the line would run limited trains amid revamping works.
Eight out of ten is, by most Metro Manila standards, a respectable score. It is better than the average jeepney’s ratio of working headlights, and roughly equal to the share of mall escalators operating at any given time. But commuters from Antipolo, Marikina and Pasig point out that a train line is not a quiz, and the two missing trains are not extra credit.
A Morning on the Line, Minute by Minute
To measure the impact, the Marikina Queue Observatory, a volunteer research group that meets in the food court of a Marikina mall because “it is the only place with seats,” asked Kristine Lacsamana, a payroll analyst from Antipolo, to keep a log of a single weekday commute. Her entries, lightly edited, read:
- 5:12 a.m. – Arrives at Antipolo station. The queue already extends past the stairs, past the footbridge and, she estimates, across one municipal boundary.
- 5:40 a.m. – Queue moves. On inspection, it was only the man behind her stepping closer.
- 6:05 a.m. – A train arrives. It is full. Station staff confirm it was full at the depot. Observers believe it may have been manufactured full.
- 6:31 a.m. – Boards. Her tote bag boards separately at 6:33 and is reunited with her at Marikina-Pasig.
- 6:58 a.m. – At Santolan, a guard announces the train is “for passengers who are already inside,” a category she is told she qualifies for “philosophically.”
- 7:44 a.m. – Arrives in Cubao. Messages her supervisor to say she will be late. Supervisor replies from the same train, two cars back.
“Eight out of ten trains working. They announced it like a product review,” said Odie Pangilinan, a stand-up comic who performs Thursdays at a Marikina comedy bar. “Four stars. Smooth ride. Very cold aircon. Would ride again, if it would only stop for me.”
The Feasibility Study Nobody Saw Coming
Relief came first in the form of research. According to the same Philstar report, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is preparing a feasibility study on special bus routes between Antipolo City and Manila to serve LRT-2, with acting LTFRB Chairman Greg Pua Jr. saying the routes would be similar to the EDSA busway concept. The board will coordinate with the local governments of Antipolo, Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, San Juan and Manila.
Transport analysts welcomed the study’s scope. “The key questions are serious ones,” said Engr. Ramon Dela Paz-Tolentino of the Pasig Center for Applied Traffic. “Is there a road? Can a bus go on it? Is Marcos Highway a highway, or is it, as many motorists believe, a parking lot with lane markings? These are things we cannot simply assume.”
Coordination with six local governments is expected to produce six sets of pick-up points, six ribbon-cuttings and six tarpaulins of six different sizes, each one large enough to block the view of the bus it is announcing. A draft timeline obtained by ManilaNews.PH allocates three months to the feasibility study, two months to a study of the feasibility study, and one afternoon to driving the bus.
Twenty Buses, Discount Included
The buses themselves arrived faster than the study. The Inquirer reported that buses with discounted fares began augmenting LRT-2 service this week, and the Manila Times reported that the DOTr deployed 20 buses to ease LRT-2 congestion.
The Marikina Queue Observatory ran the numbers on a borrowed calculator. Its conclusion: 20 buses, running continuously and without a single red light, would clear the morning queue at Santolan by approximately the second week of Lent, assuming nobody else joins the queue, which the observatory described as “the single least realistic assumption in the history of Philippine transport planning.”
“I love the discount,” said Jen Ocampo-Ruiz, a comic who performs in San Juan. “It is the first time public transport has offered me a sale. I felt like I was in a mall. I wanted to ask if the bus came in other colors. I wanted to ask for a loyalty card. Then the driver said, Ma’am, please move to the back, and I knew it was still the Philippines.”
The Line Goes on the Market
The longer-term plan involves new owners. The Inquirer reported that the DOTr will soon bid out LRT-2 under a public-private partnership, following the decision, reported by Philstar, that MRT-3 will be privatized by 2027. Secretary Lopez has also said the department is seeking other funding sources to buy new train sets.
Prospective bidders have reportedly submitted a list of clarifying questions, including whether the two non-operational trains are part of the sale, whether the new control panel comes with a warranty, and whether the Antipolo queue is classified as an asset or a liability. The DOTr’s response, sources said, was “both, depending on the hour.”
Commuters have seen where privatization can lead, and some are bracing for tiers. Readers of farm.fm will remember that American ranchers discovered their fences now come with a subscription; Antipolo residents fear the turnstiles are next. “Basic plan, you can enter the station. Plus plan, you can enter the train. Premium, you get to stand near the door,” Pangilinan said. “Family plan, your bag rides with you.”
Even the American readership of bohiney.com, raised on stories of their own failing subways, has offered sympathy, noting that their trains also run at eight out of ten, but only on weekends and only in one direction.
Waiting for the Ninth Train
At Santolan station, staff have quietly prepared for the day the ninth train returns from its control panel upgrade. A tarpaulin has been printed. It reads “Welcome Home,” in the same cheerful font families use at NAIA for returning balikbayans, and it has been sitting folded in a supply closet for three weeks, waiting, like everyone else on the line, for a train.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/