LRT-1 station renamed after FPJ

MANILA, Philippines — The Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) has changed its final stop in the north to Fernando Poe Jr. station starting today in accordance with Republic Act 11608, a law renaming Roosevelt Avenue in honor of the late action star.

RA 11608, signed in 2020, renamed Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City as Fernando Poe Jr. Avenue.

In 2006 former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared Poe as National Artist for Cinema, celebrating his contributions to the film industry as actor, director, producer and writer. However, his family accepted the posthumous recognition in 2012 under the Aquino administration.

Poe vied for presidency against Arroyo in 2004 in an election that was mired by numerous controversies, most notably the Hello Garci scandal.

On the other hand, the station was reopened by Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) in December 2022 after it was closed to the public for two years.

In 2020 LRMC shut the station to clear the way for the construction of the P3-billion Unified Grand Central Station, which will serve as the convergence between LRT-1, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 and Line 7.

Operation suspended today

In a separate development, LRMC is scheduled to suspend LRT-1 operations from 4:30 a.m. until noon for the upgrade of the signaling system of the rail line, as it will be extended all the way to Cavite by 2027.

In particular, LRMC is installing a new software compatible with the signaling system of LRT-1 Cavite Extension. Once this is applied, the operator has to conduct the required testing to ensure that it passes quality standards and safety checks.

Last year, LRMC migrated to the Alstrom signaling system not just to improve traffic control in the railway, but also to integrate the Generation 4 trains in the line.

LRMC took over the operations and maintenance of LRT-1 in 2015 and was awarded a period of 32 years to sustain the rail line that will soon connect Quezon City with Cavite.

Man jumps onto tracks

Meanwhile, a man jumped onto the LRT-1 tracks at the Blumentritt station yesterday morning.

Regie Cabil Sudaria, 26, a resident of BF Homes in Parañaque, leapt as a Baclaran-bound train approached the station at past 6 a.m., according to the Manila Police District (MPD).

The train sideswiped Sudaria, resulting in injuries that led to the amputation of his left foot at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

The MPD notified Sudaria’s family and reported that the victim was still in the operating room as of 4 p.m.