LIGHT RAIL MANILA Corp. (LRMC) is set to add more trains to the Light Rail Transit Line-1 (LRT-1) this year.
LRMC President and Chief Executive Officer Juan F. Alfonso said the company is planning to add 15 more light rail vehicles (LRV) by late 2018.
鈥淎 big portion of our trains are generation 1. We鈥檙e starting the rehabilitation of generation 2 trains that will add about another 15 trains in the system,鈥 he told reporters on Tuesday.
This would allow the company to deploy more LRVs to accommodate an expected increase in passengers once the LRT extension to Cavite starts operating by 2021.
鈥淏ecause for the Cavite Extension, the forecast of that is about 800,000 [passengers] or higher so for that, we鈥檒l have JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) [which will add] around 30 plus coaches,鈥 Mr. Alfonso said.
The company currently has 109 LRVs with a total capacity of 500,000 passengers.
LRMC turned one of its LRVs into a 鈥淟ove Train鈥 decorated for Valentine鈥檚 Day. The Love Train aims to promote environmental awareness.
鈥淲e鈥檒l keep it because it鈥檚 like a wallpaper on the train, so we鈥檒l keep the theme so when it fades, that鈥檚 when we鈥檒l change it,鈥 Mr. Alfonso said.
LRMC鈥檚 P500-million station improvement project, which started in 2016 with the expansion of its Doroteo Jose station, is set to finish by next year. 鈥 Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
