Rail transportation is by far the most efficient way of sending commuters and workers to their offices and destinations. Here in Metro Manila, the rail lines offer the best mode of transportation for our weary workers and students. Commuter trains are fast while travel time is predictable, unlike jeepneys and buses that must navigate the maze of road networks in the metropolis.
The popularity of commuter trains in our urban center, however, has made rail fare adjustments sensitive to the common commuter. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. just last week ordered the Department of Transportation to postpone fare increases for the Light Rail Transit lines 1 and 2 “pending a thorough study on the economic impact” to commuters after the agency announced the planned hikes.
The survey found that 78 percent of 1,200 respondents polled in March approved of Marcos’s performance, down from 82 percent he received in November. President Marcos has had to grapple with high inflation after assuming power in June last year. Controlling the costs of living was the top concern of 63 percent of the Pulse Asia survey respondents.
The fare hikes will come in due time. As in any other business operation, the rail network needs funds to finance a periodic upgrade and make it efficient and safe for the commuters.The rail system will continue to be the popular mode of transportation among commuters in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the near future, judging from the new unsolicited proposals received by the DOTr. The agency reported offers worth a combined P194.