The Light Rail Manila Corporation dresses up the Light Rail Transit-1 trains with Christmas-themed decorations yearly to spread holiday cheers to its passengers.
This year, the LRMC launched special LRT-1 train designed with a giant mask and face shield in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The train design dubbed “Christmask,” also serves as a reminder for Filipino commuters to be responsible in doing their part in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The themed train also pays tribute to the pandemic heroes, the COVID-19 frontliners, for their tireless dedication and efforts to keep the essential services running amid the pandemic.
Each side of the coaches displays images of frontliners from the medical field, security, and service sectors.
LRMC President and CEO Juan Alfonso said the company always release meaningful themes seasonally.
“The COVID-19 pandemic hit the country hard, and we know that this year’s Christmas celebration is going to be very different from what we’ve all been used to. But even COVID cannot take away Christmas season and its meaning to all of us,” he said.
“We encourage everyone to celebrate safely, and may this season be more memorable to all of us in this challenging time. We want to express gratitude to all the frontliners in our lives, as well as uplift the spirit of the public through this unique execution,” Alfonso added.
During the launch, safety kits were distributed to the passengers at the Baclaran station.
Alfonso reminded the public to follow safety protocols which it has implemented since the train operations resumed during the implementation of the general community quarantine period last June.
“We also hope to reinforce the commuting public’s sense of safety by showing how LRMC continues to ensure that they always come home safely by riding the LRT-1. One way we do that is by constantly reminding people to wear masks and face shields properly on top of our existing best in class safety measures,” he said.
The LRMC has been implementing a “No Face Mask, No Face Shield, No Entry” policy.
Aside from these, the LRT staff also conducts regular temperature checks with Forward Looking Infrared thermal scanners in six (6) major LRT-1 stations.
To prevent long lines and overcrowding, the LRT-1 encourages commuters to use Beep cards.
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Other safety measures include proper ventilation to assure fresh air exchanged every three minutes and filtered in the air-condition unit system; installation of disinfection mats, impermeable plastic barriers on train seats, regular chemical disinfection complemented by UVC disinfection of all trains and stations; and strict crowd control.
The corporation also implements a “no-talking and no answering phone calls” policy inside the trains to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
LRMC has pioneered the use of digital and mobile technology via its ikotMNL mobile app for information dissemination, convenient trip planning, and contact tracing of passengers. — Rosette Adel
