Construction of LRT1 Cavite extension kicks off

Almost five years after the project was awarded to a private proponent, the construction of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) Cavite Extension has finally begun on Tuesday.

The P64.9-billion project was awarded to the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) in September 2014.

The LRMC is a consortium of the Ayala Corporation, Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation, and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings.

The LRMC, however, only took over the operations and maintenance of the LRT1 rail system in September 2015.

Under the deal, the private operator shall manage the LRT1 for 32 years, during which it will also extend the line by 11.7 kilometers to 32.4 km from the current 20.7 km.

The contract states that the LRMC, as the private partner, will undertake the design, construction, and financing of the Cavite Extension, as well as the operation and maintenance of the integrated system upon completion of the project.

The project, however, took much longer to be implemented as the project was originally approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board last August 25, 2000.

“After 18 years, eight months, and 13 days” the project is finally starting full-blown construction, Transportation Undersecretary for Raile Timothy John Batan said during the ceremony of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension’s construction kickoff in Parañaque City.

The project will extend the LRT1’s last station in Baclaran all the way to Bacoor City in Cavite.

The additional 11.7-kilometer line is comprised of eight new stations namely, Redemptorist, MIA, Asiaworld, Ninoy Aquino, Dr. Santos, Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog. The project also includes provisions for the construction of two additional passenger stations — Manuyo and Talaba.

Once the project is complete, the Cavite Extension will extend LRT1 from its current 20 km to 32.4 km, accommodating up to 800,000 passengers daily nearly doubling its current average ridership of 458,000 passengers a day.

Travel time from Cavite to Baclaran will be reduced from one hour and 10 minutes to only 25 minutes.

Partial operations from Baclaran to Dr. Santos Station is targeted to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021.

To recall, former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in 2013 said that he, along with former Transportation and Communciations Secretary Emilio Joseph "Jun" Abaya, was willing to be run over by a train if the project does not materialize by 2015.

Then Communications Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma would later say Aquino's "statement (in 2013 should) not be taken literally."

Abaya earlier said that the delays were caused by the failure in the project's bidding process under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program. — MDM, GMA News