MRT-LRT loop may open this month

MANILA, Philippines - The Light Rail Transit Line 1’s trains can run on the rail tracks and power supply of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), according to the results of a test run held Friday as part of the MRT-LRT loop project, which could be operational this month.

The technical consultant for the project, Metrolink, said the LRT Line 1’s trains can run smoothly from its current end-station in Monumento, Caloocan City, straight through the four stations of the MRT-LRT link and onto the rail tracks of the MRT at its north-end station at North Avenue.

In a report to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Metrolink said the Feb. 5 test showed that the LRT Line 1’s trains can also connect to the MRT’s power supply and get stable power supply for its acceleration and even its air-conditioning.

“The running over the MRT 3 turnouts was normal without any tendency of derailment,” Metrolink said in its report. “Acceleration of the train under MRT 3 power supply was normal. Running behavior of the train on the… MRT rail is normal as expected.”

DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza earlier said the MRT-LRT link could be operational by this month.

The loop project will connect the LRT Line 1 and the MRT at the former’s Monumento Station in Caloocan and the latter’s North Avenue Station in Quezon City through an entirely elevated railway spanning a 5.4 kilometer stretch of EDSA.

The interconnection of the two lines will allow seamless travel all over Metro Manila through the LRT Line 1, the LRT Line 2, and the EDSA-bound MRT.

The project included the construction of three rail stations at the Balintawak interchange, Roosevelt Avenue, and North Avenue.

The completion of the project was initially set in May 2010 but President Arroyo had ordered the construction finished by the end of the year to enable it to be operational before the end of her term in June.