LRTA logs 58M passengers in 2025

THE Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), operator of Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2), recorded 58.75 million passengers in 2025, up 10.25% from the previous year on the back of stronger fourth-quarter ridership.

“October was the month with the highest number of passengers, totaling 5.85 million ridership, a testament to the public’s continued trust in LRT Line 2 as a safe and reliable mode of transportation for daily travel,” LRTA said in a media release on Tuesday.

LRTA closed 2025 with passenger traffic above expectations, reaching beyond its 57.15-million target for the year and outpacing the 53.29 million riders recorded in 2024.

It also said it logged three million passengers who have availed the Department of Transportation’s (DoTr) free ride program for 2025.

On Monday, LRTA said it is projecting fare collections of P1.1 billion in 2026 on a ridership of 60.62 million.

The LRTA said average daily ridership will be about 165,624 passengers. If the LRTA target for the year is realized, the total will exceed the pre-pandemic passenger count of 56.98 million in 2019.

For the January-to-November period of 2025, LRTA said revenue collections amounted to P1.16 billion, down 0.85%. The LRT-2 operator is targeting a rail revenue of P1.38 billion for full year 2025.

Last year, the Transportation department said it is planning to launch the bidding process for the LRT-2 operations and maintenance contract within the first six months of 2026.

The DoTr is working with International Finance Corp. to privatize LRT-2, with a public-private partnership expected to increase ridership and extend the rail line. — Ashley Erika O. Jose