LRT expansion to increase passenger capacity

The Light Rail Transit Authority’s (LRTA) planned addition of trains in line with its capacity expansion (CAPEX) project will raise the passenger capacity of its Line 1 system to about half a million per day.

In a press conference yesterday, LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles said the project aims to increase the passenger capacity of LRT Line 1 from 27,000 passengers per hour per direction to 40,000 passengers per hour per direction.

Robles said this should reduce passenger waiting time for trains to arrive at the platforms from the current five minutes to only three minutes.

"Currently we are transporting an average of 350,000 to 375,000 passengers in a day. But with the CAPEX project we are seeing an increase of about half a million passengers per day. This will significantly reduce traffic congestion in the Metro Manila area," said Robles.

Yesterday, Robles, together with Masayuki Hasegawa, LRTA project consultant, and Evangeline Razon, project manager of CAPEX of LRTA, presented to the media two of the 12 four-car trains, dubbed 3-G (Third Generation) trains, that would be deployed in LRT Line 1 starting on Dec. 11.

Monumento to Baclaran passengers will now experience relative ease and comfort on board a new set of 3-G trains, following the completion of the CAPEX project of the LRTA.

The 3-G trains are state-of-the-art trains that are at par with modern trains abroad with built-in airconditioning system and computerized signaling system. It will be made available on Monday after they are inaugurated on Saturday.

President Arroyo and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will grace the occasion before heading to Cebu for the Asean Summit, said Robles.

All 12 four-car trains or 48 coaches will be made available to the public by March 2007.

The procurement of the 3-G trains is part of the 26-billion Yen CAPEX project, funded through the first stage of the Obuchi Fund PHP 211 under the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) of the Japanese Government.

The project is in line with Mrs. Arroyo’s "Strong Republic Transit System" program which is aimed at decongesting Metro Manila and provide a seamless and convenient mass transportation.

Aside from the acquisition of the 3-G trains, the CAPEX project also includes major renovations at the EDSA and Doroteo Jose stations such as the provision of escalators and elevators and cross-over bridge at the Doroteo Jose station, which is the link to the Line 2 system at Recto, to allow the convenient transfer of passengers between platforms without exposing them to too much safety risks in the streets below.

Improvements in other stations are also being undertaken to resolve the perennial queue of passengers at the ticket booths, gates and access ways. At the depot area, a modern operations control center was also constructed to centralize control of operations.

The renovations in the two stations, as well as improvements undertaken in other stations, will be completed by March 2007, Robles said.

The CAPEX project is the first phase in the implementation of the government’s long-term goal of closing the loop among the rail networks.

In line with this goal, the acquisition of the 3-G trains will enable the LRTA to expand and extend its operations to SM North EDSA in the north, which is expected to be completed by May 2010.

The "closing the loop" project is estimated to cost the government about P6 billion, much lower compared to proposals from other prospective project builders, said Robles.

The other project being undertaken by the LRTA is the Line 1 South Extension project, which will extend the line to Bacoor, Cavite.