Gov’t earmarks P850M for LRT rehabilitation

The government has set aside P850 million for the rehabilitation of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 along Taft Avenue in Manila, the National Economic and Development Authority said.

In a report, the Investment Coordination Committee-Technical Board (ICC-TB) of NEDA said it has endorsed to the Cabinet-level ICC the project aimed at increasing the original mass transit system’s riding capacity, as well as install additional safety measures for passengers.

The rehabilitation project would involve the replacement and upgrading of the existing parts of the light rail vehicles (LRVs) to make these more reliable, efficient and safe.

This would involve, in particular, the replacement of spare parts of the 32 remaining LRVs which have not yet undergone any repair work, and the procurement of additional spare parts.

The report cited a study that revealed the LRVs are overloaded by 48 percent, as the mass transit system enjoys high patronage among the riding public.

With the expansion, the capacity of LRT 1 will be increased from 27,000 per hour per direction (phpd) to 40,000 phpd.

The project will be implemented over four years starting next year, and will be funded 75 percent by a Belgian loan – the same loan package that funded the construction of the LRT 1 – with the National Government assuming the 25 percent balance.

The first phase of the project will involve the acquisition of 12 additional airconditioned four-car trains while the second phase will involve the acquisition and installation of air-conditioning units for the old fleet.

The LRT 1 fleet now consists of 21 transformed three-car trains from the old fleet and seven totally new-generation and air-conditioned four-car trains.