LRT-1 extension bid process set to start April

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) has firmed up plans for the extension of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 to Cavite, which is estimated to cost P35 billion.

Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas on Monday said the government was also preparing to bid out a single ticketing system for the LRT lines and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) in line with efforts to improve services to commuters.

“By mid-April, we will be issuing an invitation to bid for the design, construction, operation and maintenance contract for the LRT line extension to Cavite,” he said.

The extension will be 12 kilometers long, moving southward from LRT line 1’s Baclaran station. The estimated cost of P35 billion is lower than the original projection of about P42 billion.

The new estimate, however, will only cover the construction of the train line, not the acquisition of additional train cars.

“The terms of the contract will be to design, build and operate the existing line that carries roughly 440,000 passengers a day,” Roxas said.

Roxas said the amount of the government’s share in LRT’s revenues to be offered by the bidders would be a major part of the criteria in choosing the winner.

The LRT line 1 extension is currently the biggest contract in the DoTC’s lineup of infrastructure projects.

Several conglomerates have already expressed interest in bidding for the LRT extension contract. These include San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

The DoTC last week said blueprints for the project were already submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority for approval.

LRT-1, the oldest elevated railway in the metropolis, runs a 16-kilometer stretch from Monumento to Baclaran, and the extension will add 12 kilometers.

In the meantime, Roxas said another priority project for the train line would be the establishment of a new single ticketing system for LRT and MRT. He said the new unified train tickets should be one that could also be used for other purposes, similar to the so-called “Octopus cards” in Hong Kong.

“Although we’re calling this single ticketing, this is really significant because it could also be e-banking,” he said.

“Our goal is for these cards to be designed in a manner that they could also be used to access ATMs [automated teller machines], among other uses,” Roxas said.