LRT expansion proj delay a disservice to public — LRTA

Further delay in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 expansion project would deny the riding public the comfort and convenience of an efficient mode of transport, according to Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Pacifico Fajardo.

Fajardo said even the funder, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), has posed "no objection" to the outcome of the bidding and has in fact been pushing the government to get on with the project.

He said the riding public needs this, especially with traffic the way it is from Monumento to Manila. "Reporting for work and going home will be easier, not a torture, and traffic even on other streets, including EDSA, would somehow ease once we expand LRT 1."

Fajardo said the bidding for the project was open and transparent and it is only Marubeni Corp. of Japan, one of the losing bidders, that has raised some minor issues that had all been addressed and cleared.

The expansion project is intended to respond to the need for an expansion of the capacity of the country’s first LRT system which continues to operate with its original fleet acquired in the mid-80’s.

The project aims to further expand the capacity of LRT Line 1 to 40,000 passengers per peak hour per direction (PPHPD) from the already expanded capacity of 27,000 pphpd.

Due for completion by September 2006, the expansion project also calls for the upgrading of the stations’ facilities to accommodate the increased passenger capacity and the acquisition of new stocks and modifications for increased passenger comfort.