Operator upbeat on LRT 1 extension

The private operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) is on track of finishing phase one of the railway’s Cavite extension, according to its president.

“We are confident. There’s no change in schedule,” Juan Alfonso, Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) president and chief executive officer, told reporters on Monday when asked for updates on the Cavite extension’s phase one.

The phase one of the project includes five stations out of the total eight — Redemptorist Station, MIA Station, Asia World Station, Ninoy Aquino Station and Dr. Santos Station.

The other three stations are Las Piñas, Zapote and Niog.

Alfonso noted that partial operations would begin by end-2021, starting with the five stations.

In September, the Department of Transportation said the railway operator had started works on the foundation of the LRT 1 Cavite extension, where the construction of the first 67 piers was
already underway from Dr. Santos Station to Ninoy Aquino Station.

Works on the 66 piers from Ninoy Aqunio Station to AsiaWorld Station, and from Redemptorist Station to the existing LRT 1 Baclaran Station would start in November 2019.

The remaining 74 piers required for Asiaworld Station to Redemptorist Stations will begin early next year.

Once its whole commercial operations begin in 2022, the extension is set to boost the current 500,000 passenger traffic to 800,000 per day, and cut travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor, Cavite, from one to two hours to only 25 minutes.

Also on Monday, the LRMC said in a statement it expects bigger passenger capacity as the railway’s EDSA station will undergo expansion works, such as building a new connecting bridge; new ticket booths, comfort rooms, LED lighting setups, interior paint jobs, floor finishes, and a PWD (persons with disability) ramp.

Currently, the LRT 1 EDSA station accommodates 50,000 passengers everyday, but the LRMC is seeing a boost in the number to up to 120,000 passengers daily with the improvement works.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/10/22/news/regions/operator-upbeat-on-lrt-1-extension/635716/