LRT Balintawak-Roosevelt stations to reopen April 11

Two stations of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 that were closed after a freak accident involving two trains in February this year will finally reopen on April 11. In a news release posted on its website, the LRT Authority (LRTA) said the Balintawak and Roosevelt stations will be "fully operational" by then. "We allotted ample time for the refresher and re-training of all train operators in Line 1, and re-orientation on safety driving policy to keep them from figuring in rail-related accidents," LRTA Administrator Rafael Rodriguez said. There was a major delay from the LRTA's initial target date for the reopening of the two stations. On March 14, the LRTA said it expects the two stations to reopen "in two weeks" - or last Monday, March 28. However, Rodriguez said the two months were spent for a thorough "evaluation and enhancement of its operational procedures and safety requirements." "We want to guarantee that our drivers can safely ferry our passengers to their destinations," he added. He said further functional testing, safety inspection and re-evaluation of the system were undertaken in February and March after the February 18 Roosevelt incident. – VVP, GMA News Last Feb. 18, two LRT trains collided at the reversing track at the LRT-1 in Quezon City. An investigation showed one of the drivers was texting when the incident occurred. On Rodriguez's orders, the LRTA management instituted additional safety measures to prevent similar or related incident in the future. These cover the modification of virtual switch which provides additional safety mechanism in the operations of trains and placement of train inspectors and dispatchers, who shall oversee the train movements from Monumento to the reversing site at Roosevelt Station. The two stations are part of the North Extension Project that will link LRT-1 and MRT-3 through a common station which is expected to be completed next year.