MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) hopes to open the first five stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) Cavite Extension to the public as scheduled this November.
When asked by reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Railways Summit, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the first phase of the LRT1 Cavite extension will be launched “possibly on [the] 16th.”
“If we open the extension of LRT1, we will be able to service around 20,000 to 30,000 more passengers in five stations,” Bautista said.
He later clarified in a briefing with the Presidential Communications Office that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing to open the line “within two to three weeks” — still ahead of the holiday season.
If all goes according to plan, Filipinos living in the south of the metro can add the railway system to their commuting options, as the LRT1 also connects to the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3).
From the Baclaran Station, the first phase of the project will extend the railway through the following new stations:
- Redemptorist-ASEAN Station
- Manila International Airport Station
- Asia World Station
- Ninoy Aquino Station
- Dr. Santos Station
The new stations will run for 6.7 kilometers, which is said to cut down commute time by 30 minutes from Baclaran to Dr. Santos Station.
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) President Enrico Benipayo said they will retain the status quo on fares per kilometer.
He said commuters taking the full 26-kilometer stretch of LRT1 — from Fernando Poe Jr. to Dr. Santos Station — would be charged around P45. This is an additional P10 from the previous P35 for passengers taking the train from Fernando Poe Jr. to the Baclaran station.
Meanwhile, Bautista said they are working with LRMC to smoothen out some issues for the construction of the second and third phases of the project, which consists of the Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog stations.
“We’re just looking at how we can resolve some issues, especially ‘yung (the) right-of-way, maaayos naman (can be fixed). Within next year, we should be able to finalize the schedule,” Bautista told reporters.
The DOTr previously said that they had finished “more than 80%” of the right-of-way acquisitions for the last three stations of the Cavite extension.
The LRMC broke ground for the 11.7-kilometer LRT1 Cavite Extension in May 2019, while physical construction began on September 29, 2019. The project has been delayed several times due to right-of-way issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. – Rappler.com