The private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 will start replacing the rail track of the Southeast Asia’s old rail system in April this year.
Light Rail Manila Consortium of Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said the re-railing of the 29 kilometers of LRT Line 1 would cover the northbound route from Baclaran to 5th Avenue. The project will complete the overall renewal of LRT-1’s tracks system.
The Light Rail Transit Authority is about to complete the first phase of the project after carrying out the replacement of the 23-kilometer southbound tracks in December on top of the eight kilometers already replaced in previous years.
LRMC engineering director Rudy Chansuyco said the new rails were expected to be delivered in April this year.
“Our target is to be done by the end of 2017 with new, modern tracks that will allow for smoother rides for our passengers,” Chansuyco said.
He said the re-railing would cover the systematic replacements of rails and other components to keep the LRT-1 line functioning at optimum quality and enable train speed to be increased from 40 kph to 60 kph.”
Apart from smoother rides, the re-railing is expected to minimize wear and tear for the rolling stock and increase the reliability of the whole train system.
Both will result in the increased life span of LRT-1. The project will also benefit communities in close proximity to the stations, as the new set of tracks will significantly reduce the vibration and noise levels currently experienced.
Chansuyco said the re-railing was just one of the programmed improvement projects that LRT-1 would undergo.
He added LRMC was also working on the rehabilitation of elevators and escalators, improvement of the stations, and restoration of old trains. New light rail vehicles are coming soon to augment the existing fleet.
LRMC earlier said it would spend P10 billion to rehabilitate and upgrade the rolling stocks, railway stocks, train stations and signaling system of the LRT Line 1.
LRMC is also set to construct the 11.7-kilometer extension from the present end-point at Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite.
Eight new stations will be built along the route, with the goal of easing traffic conditions in the Parañaque-Las Piñas-Cavite corridor.
LRMC won the P65-billion LRT Line 1 extension project, with a premium bid of P9.35 billion in September 2014.
Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. controls 55 percent of the consortium, while AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. has 35 percent. Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte Ltd. owns 10.