LRT-1 link to Cavite soon to break ground

Light Rail Manila Corp., the private sector operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) elevated train in Metro Manila, said the groundbreaking for the Cavite extension line would be held later this month or by early March.

Light Rail Manila CEO Rogelio Singson made the announcement as he detailed updates on the rehabilitation of LRT-1, which it came to operate as part of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program under the Aquino administration.

The Cavite extension PPP project involves the construction of an 11.7-kilometer line from the present end-point at Baclaran to the Niog area in Bacoor, Cavite. The PPP deal would be a 32-year concession for Light Rail Manila, a company backed by Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

Singson said on Monday that most of the right-of-way had already been delivered for the initial 6-km phase of the Cavite extension project. The LRT-1 currently runs from Baclaran in Pasay to Roosevelt in Quezon City.

He said the Cavite extension line would begin operations by 2020 or 2021. The government promised to deliver more train cars, he said.

The LRT-1 already handles about half a million commuters per day. The Cavite extension would increase the number to 800,000 per day.

Light Rail Manila also on Monday announced the completion of the first phase of its P500-million station improvement project involving the upgrade of the Doroteo Jose station in Sta. Cruz, Manila. The entire train will be fully refurbished by end 2017.