P650-M rehab of LRT1 power system set

Light Rail Manila Corp., the private sector operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 in Metro Manila, is spending P650 million to rehabilitate the aging train system’s power facilities.

In a statement, LRMC said it signed an agreement with First Balfour Inc. and MRail Inc. for the rehabilitation of  11 rectifier substations along the 21-kilometer line.

“As they power our trains, the substations are absolutely critical to providing reliable electricity supply and efficient operations of trains,” LRMC president and CEO Juan F. Alfonso said in a statement.

LRMC is backed by conglomerates Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. In 2014, the venture won a public-private partnership (PPP) deal to operate the LRT1 and expand it to Cavite province.

According to the company, the rehabilitation of the substations would take two years to complete. It includes the replacement of major substation equipment such as the critical switchgears, rectifiers, transformer, cables, the enhancement of the supervisory control and data acquisition system (Scada), which allows the real-time monitoring of faults at the substations, and the modernization of fire detection and suppression systems.

“Some of these substations are 30 years old and need to be modernized to ensure reliability and efficiency of electric supply to our trains,” Alfonso added.

The project is part of the ongoing LRT1 system improvements, which include the rehabilitation of trains, renovation of the 20 stations as well as the structural enhancements of the parapets.

The upgrade has increased the number of trains from 77 to 112 in its first three years, enabling LRMC to increase the number of trips and accommodate more passengers. In August 2018, monthly ridership on LRT1 hit a record high of 14 million.