DoTr expands LRT-1 PITX station gates, ticket booths

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) announced plans to install additional ticket booths and entry gates at the LRT-1 PITX station to reduce passenger queues and ease morning rush-hour congestion, officials said Monday.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the station serves approximately 27,000 commuters daily, with heavy passenger volume concentrated between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Following consultations with the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and terminal operators, the department agreed on a three-phase intervention plan.

As an immediate measure, authorities will open a previously restricted ticketing area near the terminal's bus arrival bay.

Directional signage will be installed to guide arriving bus passengers to purchase tickets at the arrival bay rather than crowding main ticketing counters inside the complex.

Before the Christmas season, the DoTr will deploy four additional ticket booths and four new automatic entry gates, expanding the station's total capacity to seven ticket booths and 11 turnstiles.

"We will add four more ticket booths and four more gates," Dizon said. "We need to organize the area because passengers buying tickets, exiting, and entering trains are all crowding into the same space."

To address long-term flow, the DoTr plans to construct a direct pedestrian walkway next year linking the upper floors of the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) to the train station platform, allowing passengers from the second and third levels to bypass the main concourse.

Dizon clarified that morning congestion stems primarily from narrow access points and ticketing bottlenecks rather than a deficit in rolling stock.

However, the agency plans to increase operational LRT-1 train sets from 29 to as many as 32 before Christmas to reduce headway times.

"Even a little relief in travel time, queues, and the difficulties passengers experience would make a difference this Christmas," Dizon said.