LRMC resumes works on LRT1 Cavite extension project

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1), has resumed works on the 11.7-kilometer Cavite extension project.

In a statement Thursday, LRMC said it secured the green light from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to carry on with select repair and infrastructure works while the enhanced community quarantine is still in place.

“The scheduled test pit works (bridge and pipe inspection) required for the construction along the CAVITEX-Parañaque bridge is set to begin on May 7, 2020 (7 a.m.) until May 22, 2020 (11:59 p.m.),” the railway operator said.

There will be a temporary road closure of the innermost lane or northbound along CAVITEX-Parañaque bridge to give way to the necessary activities in the area during the same period.

This was previously announced and rescheduled due to the government’s implementation of enhanced community quarantine last March 17.

Design works, assembly works, and select tasks at the precast yard area are also ongoing for the Cavite extension project—which would see the LRT1 line reach Bacoor, Cavite, LRMC said.

As part of the DOTr’s request to allow the resumption of maintenance and construction work on current rail projects, the company complied with the IATF’s stated guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplace.

LRMC said it has implemented the following measures in their workplace at all times:

• Reducing operations to a skeletal workforce
• Providing accommodations and point-to-point shuttle services for workers
• Regular disinfection of all workplaces, shuttles, and accommodations
• Regular monitoring of personnel health and COVID-19 symptoms
• Imposition of physical distancing and proper hygiene

Preventive and corrective maintenance works, including the replacement of air-conditioning compressor units, are now in progress to ensure the public of better service when LRT1 resumes operations, according to LRMC.

Public transport operations have been suspended since March 17 in line with the government’s enhanced community quarantine enforced in Luzon.

“Rest assured that we are taking every opportunity during this time to come back better for Filipino commuters. We are taking great efforts to make sure our workers remain safe and healthy by following the proper guidelines and precautions set by the government,” LRMC chief operating officer Enrico Benipayo said.—AOL, GMA News