DESPITE their flaws and some occasional malfunctions, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) are still the safest and fastest public transportation in Metro Manila, especially considering the heavy traffic on its main highways and avenues.
These railways are also proven to be convenient, minus the unreasonably long queues during rush hours. But this only applies if your day ends before the clock strikes at 10 p.m.
LRT Line 1’s current operating schedule is only until 10:15 p.m. on weekdays and until 9:45 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The LRT Line 2 train service runs only until 9:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the MRT-3’s operational hours end at 10:11 p.m.
Although these railway services open as early as 4 a.m., many commuters who need to travel late at night, including those who work night shifts, could not use the trains.
Because of this, train commuters have been asking the government to extend the operating hours of the railway systems.
One of them is Jenny Zantua, who has been facing difficulties when commuting to her work because of the current schedule of the MRT-3.
She works as a customer service representative for a BPO company in Mandaluyong. Her shift begins at 11 p.m., but she commutes at 8 p.m. from Fairview in order to catch the last MRT-3 train bound for Shaw station.
According to her, it is bothersome to leave home much earlier than her shift just to avoid experiencing Manila’s traffic congestion problems.
“Nakakainis madalas kasi kailangan kong gumising at mag-prepare nang mas maaga para umabot lang sa MRT at hindi ma-late sa work ko,” she told republicasia.
Roman Crisostomo shares the same dilemma.
Due to the nature of his work as a project manager, he would often clock out from the office late because of the workload on his plate. As a result, he rarely makes it to the last northbound train.
He would instead book a car or a motorcycle using ride-hailing apps, which forces him to spend more money for his fare expenses.
“Ang gastos lalo na kapag nag-[over time] ako sa office. Wala na akong aabuting train so mas mahal yung pamasahe kasi kailangang mag-Grab or Angkas pauwi,” he said in a separate interview.
Journalism student Erica Romualdez also experiences the same predicament when going home from school after late night production work for her academic requirements.
She shared with republicasia that she would sometimes stay at her classmate’s apartment after their shoot until the LRT-2 opens its gates at 5 a.m.
There have also been instances when she would spend the night at her classmate’s place before attending her classes the next morning.
Given their experiences, the three commuters hope that railway operators in the country would consider extending their hours to cater to more passengers like them: those who work the graveyard shift, those who render overtime, and those who take classes at night.
However, according to the MRT-3 management, extending its operating hours would likely affect its maintenance schedule, as the maintenance works are done when the train system shuts down for the day.
The LRT-2 operator, the Light Rail Transit Authority, gave the same reason. It also noted that there are fewer passengers who use the trains beyond 7 p.m.
But extending the train schedules would provide great service to many commuters.
It would help passengers go home easily and conveniently, and away from the fear and anxiety that they could fall victim to crimes that could happen when taking other forms of public transportation.
Midnight trains would also aid workers in Metro Manila’s business districts by providing them with a convenient option for public transportation,
It’s also a cheaper option compared to hailing taxis and private cars.
Another benefit, as mentioned by X (formerly Twitter) user Zuriel Domingo (@domingozuriel), is that extending train operating hours would be good for the economy as it would translate to a richer nightlife in the metro.
