Commuters may enjoy free rides at the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the two lines of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) on Friday, Dec. 20, in time for the holiday rush, Malacañang said.
The Palace said the initiative will benefit 1.1 million passengers, making it the trains’ biggest ridership this year.
“Ang inisyatibong ito ay isang simpleng paraan upang maibsan ang gastos ng ating mga kababayang abala sa paghahanda para sa Pasko. Nawa’y magdulot ito ng ginhawa at maramdaman ng lahat ang malasakit ng pamahalaan ngayong kapaskuhan,” said Malacañang.
Since Dec. 16, the first trip at North Ave. of the MRT-3 begins at 4:30 a.m. Operating hours for the holidays are extended by an hour, with the last trips at North Ave. set at 10:34 p.m. and Taft Ave. at 11:08 p.m.
The LRT-1 will also extend operations on Friday and on Dec. 23, with the last train leaving at 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., from Dr. Santos and FPJ stations, respectively.
As for the LRT-2, the final trips are set 30 minutes later than usual from Dec. 17 to 23.
Last week, a party-list group launched a signature campaign urging the transportation department to further extend train operations. The government dismissed the call, saying trains require daily maintenance.
