Seniors, PWDs get 50% train fare discount

MANILA, Philippines, July 17 ------ A 50-percent train fare discount for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) has been launched by President Marcos. Discounted train tickets in Metro Manila are now available at Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) until 2028, when Marcos’ term ends.

Seniors, PWDs and students used to be entitled to a 20-percent discount. Speaking at the Santolan-Annapolis station of MRT-3 yesterday, Marcos said about 13 million seniors and seven million PWDs stand to benefit from the increased discount. “I haven’t accepted my senior citizen’s card yet because I’m still in denial,” Marcos said in jest.

With the President were Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon, MRT-3 general manager Michael Capati and acting Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez. Marcos also announced the inaugural trip of China-made Dalian trains purchased in 2014. “It’s called Dalian because it was made in the city of Dalian in China,” he noted. “But when they inspected it, they said it was not capable of operating and using these trains, these carriages,” he added.

The Dalian trains were left unused due to technical compatibility issues with local rail systems, drawing criticism and concerns over wasted government funds. Marcos said efforts were made under his administration to revisit the issue and put the train sets to use. With the deployment of the restored three-car Dalian train set, more train cars will undergo the same process in the coming months as part of a broader rehabilitation program, Malacañang said.

Forty-eight Dalian trains worth P3.8 billion were procured from CRRC Dalian Co. Each Dalian train set could carry around 1,200 passengers. In December 2020, a Dalian train stopped abruptly due to a “technical glitch,” its force strong enough for some passengers to almost fall. “These have been idle for 10 years, unused. But now we can use it and that’s what we’re going to test today,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has welcomed the government’s initiative to increase train fare discounts from 20 to 50 percent. The agency earlier lauded free train rides for PWDs from July 17 to 23 in observance of National Disability Rights Week. Free train rides were made possible through the collaboration of the Department of Transportation, Light Rail Transit Authority and National Council on Disability Affairs. Meanwhile, the DSWD said over four million indigent seniors are receiving aid for their health and daily needs through the agency’s Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program.

Source: philstar.com