Filipinos taking the MRT-3 to commute will enjoy free trips for an entire month starting March 30, following the successful rehabilitation of the train line.
President Rodrigo Duterte announced in a speech on Tuesday that riding the MRT-3 will be free from March 28 to April 30.
"I'd like to announce that [Secretary Arthur] Tugade and I decided that the MRT-3 rides will be free, from March 28 to April 30, 2022," said Duterte.
The free rides come after the rehabilitation of the MRT-3 was successfully completed in December after being launched in May 2019.
It saw the replacement of the rail tracks on the mainline to bring back to the train's original speed from 60 kilometers per hour to 30kph.
This gives for a faster train ride, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr), where the travel time from North Avenue to Taft Avenue station is reduced to 45 to 50 minutes from the previous one hour and 15 minutes in the past.
The headway, or the time it takes to wait for trains, is also reduced to four to five minutes from the previous 8.5 to nine minutes, added the department.
The number of trains running during the peak hours has also expanded to 18 to 22 trains from the previous 12 to 15.
As part of the MRT-3 rehabilitation, all of its train cars have new air conditioning units, while 45 out of 72 trains have undergone general overhauling.
The train system's signaling system was also modernized, with the components of the communications system replaced with newer equipment, this includes new CCTV cameras and platform monitors.
The rehabilitation of the MRT-3 was carried out in cooperation with the Sumitomo Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Test Philippines Inc.
Duterte said the rehabilitation program for the MRT-3 is part of the "administration's efforts to improve connectivity and mobility."
"The MRT is proof that we are keeping our momentum in improving our national road system, which aims to deliver quality service to the Filipino people and respond to the emergency of a new normal," said the president.
The rehabilitation seeks to resolve the controversies faced by the MRT-3 line in the past, including travel disruptions and slow-moving trains.
