MANILA, Philippines — The current “record high” volume of vehicles using Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue might be surpassed as Christmas Day approaches, as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) allows buses to use portions of EDSA and other roads in Metro Manila for provincial trips.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said more vehicles – up to 480,000 per day – are expected to use EDSA in the second and third weeks of December.
The estimate surpasses the latest MMDA count of about 464,000 vehicles using the avenue on a single day.
Artes said the MMDA expects travel along EDSA to become slower, with speeds dropping from the current average of 21 kilometers per hour to as low as 15 kph in the next two weeks.
As this developed, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) modified the light train schedules in Metro Manila to “offer greater convenience to passengers during the holiday season.”
In an advisory, the DOTr said the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) from North Avenue Station will start at 4:30 a.m. and end at 10:34 p.m. while those from Taft Avenue will run from 5:05 a.m. to 11:08 p.m. from Dec. 16 to 23.
On Dec. 24 and 31, train trips will end earlier at 7:45 p.m. for trains from North Avenue station, and 8:23 p.m. for trains from Taft Avenue station. Train journeys will start late at 6:30 a.m. from both terminals on Christmas and New Year.
Regular train trip schedules would be followed from Dec. 26 to 30.
The Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) will also follow a modified schedule, with trains from both Dr. Santos Avenue and Fernando Poe Jr. stations leaving at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 20, 23, 26 and 27, and at 5 a.m. on Dec. 21-22, 24-25, 28-31 and Jan. 1, 2025.
The last train from Dr. Santos Avenue station will leave at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 and 23; at 10 p.m. on Dec. 21-22 and Dec. 26-27; at 8 p.m. on Dec. 24; at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 and at 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 25, Dec. 28-30 and Jan. 1.
At the Fernando Poe Jr. station, the last train will depart at 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 20 and 23; at 10:15 p.m. on Dec. 21-22 and Dec. 26-27; at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 24; at 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 31; and at 9:45 p.m. on Dec. 25, Dec. 28-30 and Jan. 1.
Trips on LRT-2, which traverses the route between Manila and Antipolo, will start at 5 a.m. from Dec. 17 to New Year’s Day.
The last train will leave Antipolo at 9:30 p.m. from Dec. 17 to 23; at 8 p.m. on Dec. 24; at 9 p.m. on Dec. 25-30 and Jan. 1, and at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31.
The last train from Recto station will depart at 10 p.m. from Dec. 17 to 23; at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 24; at 9:30 p.m. from Dec. 25 to 30 and Jan. 1, and at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Meanwhile, portions of Roxas Boulevard from Katigbak Drive to P. Ocampo Avenue in Manila will be closed to vehicles today for the Earth Run 2024 event, the Manila Public Information Office said.
It advised motorists to avoid those road portionsgolden plus, which will be closed to traffic from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., and to use alternate routes.