Privatizing LRT2 an ‘open option’ —Tugade

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday expressed openness to a proposal to privatize the operations and maintenance of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2).

“Those are options that are open,” Tugade told reporters on the sidelines of AirAsia Philippines’s launch of its office in Pasay City.

The Transportation chief was asked to comment on Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s proposal to privatize the LRT2 amid the continuing partial shutdown of the mass rail transit system after a fire hit its rectifiers between Anonas and Katipunan stations last week. 

“Whether it will materialize, only the future can tell,” Tugade said.

But the Cabinet official said privatizing the LRT2 is not yet on the table at the moment.

The operations of LRT2 is currently under the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).

According to the LRTA, it will take nine months to repair and fully restore the affected stations.

LRT2 resumed partial operations from Cubao to the Recto station and back on Tuesday after safety checks and other necessary procedures were completed.

The fire has rendered the tracks from Santolan to Anonas unpassable and downed the power supply and signaling systems. — RSJ, GMA News