The LRT and MRT are safe for the majority of passengers – but these passengers, through practice or osmosis from others, have learned that a few rules of thumb minimize aggravation when riding the rails.
- Avoid rush hour. The weekday rush hours (7am to 9am; 5pm to 9pm) will find you competing with Manila’s commuting public, who collectively transform each station and train car into a seething mass of tightly packed people. Rush hour travelers are also at increased risk of theft; see the next pointer.
- Keep your valuables under cover. Pickpockets, snatch-thieves and muggers have been known to ride the LRT and MRT in search of passengers conspicuously flashing jewelry and expensive electronics. Maintain situational awareness: don’t wear headphones when traveling, keep your iPhone under wraps, and take off or conceal any jewelry on your person.
- Don’t carry too much stuff. You won’t be allowed to transport heavy luggage onto the train. The LRT and MRT lines are primarily commuter services, and can be quite packed even on low-demand hours; heavy luggage will be difficult to manage in the crush, and your fellow passengers will probably not appreciate your taking up so much space.
- Don’t block the doors. For your fellow passengers’ convenience, move away from the doors as soon as you enter the train. Move back towards the doors one station prior to your destination; two if the train is packed to the gills.
- Take care crossing the road. This applies particularly to the older stations along the LRT-1 line – not all of them allow passengers to cross conveniently from one side to the other. For these stations, you’ll be required to cross at street level.
Tren Pilipinas 