The last two phases of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) Cavite extension project may start construction as early as 2026 to enable operations of the entire railway by 2031, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Jeremy Regino, in an interview with the media last week, said they were eyeing to complete the acquisition of the remaining right-of-way (ROW) for the project by the end of next year.
He said they had already secured “more than 80 percent” of ROW for the railway route.
Apart from this, Regino said they were also working on relocating utilities like electric poles and water lines to pave the way for construction.
The second phase of LRT 1 Cavite extension consists of Las Piñas station and Zapote station while the third and last phase is the Niog station.
The first phase, meanwhile, is set to be operational by the fourth quarter of this year. This segment includes five stations: Redemptorist, MIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino and Dr. Santos.
In line with the scheduled partial operations, LRT 1 private operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) will integrate the existing system of LRT 1 with the Cavite extension line. It will also conduct system operation demonstration tests and evaluate the safety and reliability of the railway extension.
As such, LRT 1 operations will be temporarily suspended on Aug. 17 to Aug. 18, Aug. 24 to Aug. 25 and Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.
Stop-gap measures
The train operator said it had coordinated with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for the deployment of additional buses. It also reached out to Metro Manila Development Authority for the provision of additional traffic enforcers and crowd control measures.
The 11.8-kilometer extension project, which covers major cities such as Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay and Parañaque, starts at the Baclaran station of LRT 1. It is designed to serve up to 800,000 passengers daily.
In August last year, LRT 1 implemented a fare hike to generate more revenues for infrastructure upgrades and maintenance. The minimum boarding fare increased to P13.29 from P11 while the additional fare per kilometer rose to P1.29 from P1. 50. INQ