Commuters from the Southern Metro Manila will be able to enjoy faster travel in and out of Manila beginning November 2024.
On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that the Phase 1 of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension is set for partial operation within the next few weeks.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista confirmed that the line will be open within two to three weeks.
This partial operation will add five more stops on the LRT-1 line.
In Phase 1, there is the Redemptorist Station, MIA Station, Asiaworld Station, Ninoy Aquino Station, and Dr. Santos Station.
These additional destinations will extend the current LRT-1 route from 20 kilometers to 26 kilometers from Pasay city to Parañaque city. With this, the DOTr boasts a travel time of less than an hour along the extended line.
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) CEO Enrico Benipayo stated that the LRT-1 will be able to service an additional 80,000 passengers when this operation starts.
Currently, the line carries around 320,000 passengers per day. The LRMC is anticipating to double the number of passengers after five years.
"We’ll be doubling the number of passengers along that line; so that’s probably in 2028 or 2029, the current number of 320,000 will double to around 650,000," Benipayo said.
While the LRMC is expecting an increase in passenger numbers, Benipayo said they are ready to accommodate passengers and avoid longer queues.
"For the moment… our [train] intervals are four minutes, so every four minutes there is a new train. In case there is a longer line, we have a capability to decrease the intervals to two and a half minutes. So that way, we will be able to manage the queuing," he said.
The LRMC is also testing new trains for service to improve the efficiency of the railway service.
"We’d like to thank our partners because they’ve delivered a total of 30 additional 4-car trains. And of the 30, we’re able to use 19 for the moment. The remaining are still under testing and commissioning," Benipayo added.
Phases 2 and 3 of the Cavite Extension remain under construction and will eventually connect Baclaran in Pasay city, Sucat in Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Niog in Bacoor, Cavite.