NEW NORMAL | Philippines allows trains, buses to resume operations in the capital next week

May 30, 2020 , 01:04 PM

May 30, 2020 – Commuter buses and trains will resume operations on Monday after President Rodrigo Duterte placed the capital region under a general community quarantine, the transportation secretary said on Saturday.

But the public transportation will have limited carrying capacity to prevent possible transmission of the virulent virus, which has infected more than 16,000 people since the outbreak in late January, Arthur Tugade said in a news conference.

Tugade has issued guidelines to be observed by transport services, emphasizing the minimum health standards set by the health department to avoid the dreaded second wave of infection.

Based on the guidelines, elevated trains, taxis, transport network companies (TNCs), shuttle services such as P2P buses, bicycles, and tricycles with local government clearance, will be allowed to operate in Metro Manila under Phase 1, but with limited passenger capacity.

Bus augmentation will also be provided along the train routes, from June 1 to June 21, because MRT-3, LRT-1, and LRT-2 will only be running with a 12-14 percent passenger capacity, Tugade said.

He said the MRT management also planned to use the trains acquired from Chinese firm CCRC Dalian. “Pumayag ang Sumitomo na isama ang Dalian trains,” said Tugade, “Sa ganung pamamaraan, madadagdagan ang biyahe para sa mga mananakay bagamat limited capacity.”

Tugade said 28 trains will be running the LRT-1 route, while five will be operational for the LRT-2, and 14-19 for the MRT-3. Some of the MRT trains will also be moving at a speed of 40 kph. He said eight trains will operate under the old tracks of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) from Tutuban to the south.

PNR general manager Junn Magno said they would adjust their schedule on Monday, with the first trip starting at 3am, and the last trip at 8:20pm.

“Hinabaan yung oras para makapag-extend kami ng capaity dahil nagbawas ng tren,” said Magno.

DOTr said they would also be providing an initial of 90 buses to augment transportation along the MRT-3, LRT-1, and LRT-2 train routes, where the Santolan to Cubao stations are still not yet operational.

For EDSA, MRT-3 director Michael Capati said there would be dedicated lines for pick-up and drop-off points for the bus augmentation scheme in the North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Ayala, and Taft Avenue stations.

MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia advised those riding motorcycles to shift to the rightmost lane.

“Ang motorcycle lane ay makakain ng express bus lane. Sa ngayon, ineenganyo natin ang mga motor na sa right side na tabi ng bangketa para safe sila,” he said.

Under Phase 1, provincial buses will still not be allowed to operate in Metro Manila, except those ferrying overseas Filipino workers back to their hometowns.

Public utility buses, modern PUVs, and UV express will be allowed to resume operations under limited capacity under Phase 2, starting from June 22 to 30.

Minimum health safety protocols, such as face masks, cashless payments, thermal scanners, alcohol sanitizers, and disinfection would still be implemented.

However, there is still no protocol for the resumption of jeepney operations.

“Pasensya sa ating mga kapatid na namamasada ng jeep,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Saturday, “Pinag-aaralan pa kung paano magkaroon ng social distancing. May prototype na every other seat sa jeep ang uupuan. Kung lahat ng jeep ay pwede mabago ang upuan sa ganitong paraan, pinag-aaralan ng IATF.”

While some raised concerns about the possibility of spreading the coronavirus while waiting for transport, Roque said that he would still encourage employers to implement a 50/50 work from office and work from home scheme.

(Katrina Elaine Alba/MM)

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