Villar forays into light rail transit

MANILA, Philippines — Tycoon Manuel Villar Jr., the country’s richest man based on Forbes’ individual count, is making his foray into the rail operations business to better connect Metro Manila to the south, particularly his planned Villar City.

Villar, who is already in property, retail, power, water, telco, and media, plans to operate a light rail transit all the way to Cavite and later on, even near Tagaytay.

“I will continue the LRT,” Villar told reporters Tuesday night.

Villar said he is already in talks with the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), which operates LRT-1, on how he can take over a portion of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension project.

LRMC is a partnership between Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp.

The first phase of LRMC’s LRT-1 Cavite Extension project covers seven kilometers of the 11-km extension, including five new stations: Redemptorist Station, Manila International Airport Station, Asia World Station in Parañaque, the Ninoy Aquino Station and Dr. Santos Station in Sucat.

The remaining segments will cover Las Piñas Station, Zapote Station and Niog Station.

Villar said he is already in talks with LRMC to take over the last three stations, namely Las Piñas Station, Zapote Station, and Niog Station in Bacoor, Cavite and add seven more stations that will pass via Molino, also in Bacoor, Cavite and all the way to the last station which will be in Governor’s Drive in Cavite.

Eventually, Villar said he may add more stations beyond Silang, Cavite and closer to Tagaytay.

LRT Line 1 is a light rapid transit system line with Metro Manila which currently consists of 20 stations from Monumento to Baclaran.

Villar said he would submit his unsolicited proposal to the government once it is final.

The real estate tycoon said putting an LRT in the south makes sense as it would be in synergy to his planned developments in Villar City.

Furthermore, he said a rail business would be a real estate play so there would be commercial and retail segments in the stations. This is similar to rail stations abroad.

Villar’s planned mixed-use 3,500-hectare Villar City is the tycoon’s most ambitious project to date.

It will pass through 15 cities in Metro Manila and Cavite and is envisioned to become Metro Manila’s “new center of gravity.”

Villar said it would be a massive masterplanned integrated development that will be composed of 15 satellite cities.