A new rail line will serve thousands of commuters from Antipolo and the towns of Cainta and Taytay in Rizal province.
The eastern part of Metro Manila, specifically Rizal, is home to many Filipinos who work in Makati, Parañaque, Pasay, and Manila. They commute from their home on a laborious pace due to inadequate transport modes, and their one-way travel could last as long as three hours.
The new rail line, hopefully, will ease the plight of these commuters, as well as the heavy traffic along Ortigas Avenue Extension and Shaw Boulevard. The Department of Transportation expects to start the construction of the P59.3-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 4 by 2021.
MRT 4 is a 15.56-kilometer rail-based transit system that will connect LRT Line 2 in Sta. Mesa, Manila to Taytay, Rizal. The rail line, scheduled for operation in 2025, aims to address the worsening traffic and inadequate road capacity in the densely-populated areas of eastern Metro Manila that include parts of Quezon City, San Juan City, Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, and the Ortigas Center.
The project, depending on its final design and coverage, will offer an initial daily ridership of around 234,433 passengers. It will consist of 11 to 13 stations with a right-of-way alignment along V. Mapa St., Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue and Taytay Diversion Road that will connect the suburban town to the Ortigas Center business district.
Commuters from the eastern part of Manila sorely need new rail lines that will link their homes and place of work. Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Manila, Parañaque and Pasay have been attracting several workers from the eastern part of Manila, including Angono and Binangonan. But the long trip is too taxing for these commuters given the monstrous road traffic on Shaw Blvd. and Ortigas Avenue Extension.
The Duterte administration, meanwhile, must accelerate its infrastructure program amid the increasing population and a rapidly growing economy. More roads, rail networks, airports, bridges and storage facilities will ease travel and increase productivity. They will open more job opportunities and will eventually reduce the poverty level in the Philippines.