Monday, October 25, 2021
'4th gen' LRT-1 trains arrive in PH
By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
Several new "fourth generation” trains meant to be used for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) have arrived in the Philippines on Monday and are set to go into operation next year.
In an interview, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) president and CEO Juan Alfonso said 12 out of the 30 trains have so far arrived in the country from Mexico and Spain and would undergo testing and commissioning by Spanish engineers.
These trains will be used in the entire LRT-1 line by 2022 and will replace the service’s 40-year-old first-generation trains.
Alfonso said the trains would also ply the soon-to-be-completed Cavite Extension project.
Compared to first-generation trains, the fourth generation trains are more efficient, faster, and PWD-friendly, he added.
In addition to the new trains, he said the LRT-1 is also upgrading its signaling system to reduce its headway, or the wait time between trains, from the current three and a half minutes to two and a half minutes.
“Halos 30 percent mas mabilis siya, 'yung headway between trains (It’s faster by almost 30 percent, the headway between trains),” Alfonso said.
In August, the LRT-1 Cavite Extension was reportedly 60 percent complete and is on track to begin partial operations in the first quarter of 2024.
Composed of eight stations running along an 11.7-kilometer stretch of railway, the LRT-1 Cavite Extension is expected to be completed by 2027.
LRT-1 adds more 4th generation trains
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1, received its twelfth brand-new 4th Generation (Gen-4) train set at its Baclaran Depot in Pasay on Oct. 25, 2021.
LRT-1’s newest trains will be deployed for revenue use by mid-2022, after undergoing complete safety checks, inspections, plus required test runs with minimum kilometers and acceptance tests.
“Since assuming the operations and management of LRT-1, we have increased the number of trains available to our customers by almost 50% and shortened waiting times,” announced Juan F. Alfonso, LRMC President, and CEO.
“We continue moving forward with our upgrades and fleet modernization, in line with our commitment to service excellence,” he added.
LRMC, together with partners from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), and Manila Harbor Center Port Services, Inc. (MHCPSI), has been receiving the Gen-4 train sets in batches this year since January.
Each Gen-4 train set consists of 4 light rail vehicles (LRVs) with a total capacity of 1,300 passengers per trip.
A total of 30 train sets (or 120 LRVs) from Spain and Mexico are scheduled for delivery until June 2022 to be used for the existing system and Cavite Extension project of the Light Rail Transit Line 1.
The state-of-the-art passenger train sets measure 106 meters in length and 2.59 meters in width, with maximum design speeds of up to 70 kph.
They have destination signs to inform passengers if the trains are heading north or south.
The driver station inside features a modern design, with a monitor that shows the temperature.
The new trainsets are also PWD-friendly with special areas for wheelchairs.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/25/lrt-1-adds-more-4th-generation-trains/