TRAIN LAUNCH President Marcos checks in his ticket during the inauguration of the LRT Cavite extension project. 鈥擬ALACA脩ANG PHOTO
The good news for those living south of Metro Manila is that starting Friday, passengers of Light Rail Manila Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) will be able to ride the railway up to Para帽aque City following the opening of the first phase of its Cavite extension (CE) line.
President Marcos and executives from private LRT 1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) unveiled the train station mark at the Dr. Santos station in Para帽aque City during the Cavite line inauguration.
The President also joined the inaugural ride of the L1CE along with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and other government officials on Friday morning.
鈥淚 am encouraging our commuters to try this new railway line for yourselves and experience its comfort, compared to the traffic jams that we suffer every day,鈥� the President said in an interview after riding the train.
He added that he wanted to see the completion of three more L1CE stations until Bacoor City, Cavite, 鈥渋n the soonest time possible.鈥�
Bautista told reporters that train fare for an end-to-end ride or from Fernando Poe Jr. Station in Quezon City until Dr. Santos station would cost P45.
鈥淭he opening of five out of eight stations will dramatically improve public transport into Metro Manila coming from the south, which has long been plagued by daily traffic gridlock,鈥� Bautista said.
鈥楻educing 6,000 cars鈥�
The transport chief said 80,000 daily passengers are expected to be accommodated by the new line. It is equivalent to reducing 6,000 cars on the roads, he added.
Before the opening, LRT 1 saw an average daily ridership of more than 320,000 commuters.
The entire railway extension is estimated to be up and running by 2031.
Bautista said LRMC procured 30 4th generation (Gen-4) light rail vehicles for this line. The L1CE is expected to serve an additional 300,000 passengers every day, or an 800,000 ridership for the entire LRT 1 line.
The L1CE Phase 1 is the first railway line partially opened under the Marcos administration.
The 6.5-kilometer Phase 1 connected the LRT 1 Baclaran Station to the five new stations. The Dr. Santos Station is an intermodal transport facility with multiple bays for public and private vehicles.
The L1CE has a project cost of P64.915 billion and was financed through P17.80 billion in official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, P39.57 billion from the LRMC, and P .55 billion from the government.
Fastest, most convenient
The President expressed hope that the new L1CE stations will allow commuters to experience a 鈥済reat reduction in their travel time, allowing them to spend more time with their loved ones.鈥�
Marcos said the government will intensify its other railway initiatives, such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line from Quezon City to Bulacan, the North-South Commuter Railway from Tarlac to Laguna, and an improved experience for commuters on the MRT 3 and LRT 1 lines.
READ: LRT line to Cavite still 7 years from becoming operational
He then waxed sentimental about the L1CE and recalled that his deceased father and namesake, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., began the LRT 1 as the first light rail urban transit system in Southeast Asia.
鈥淥n this day, no one is happier than his son in seeing that his father鈥檚 foresight is being validated by another work that expands the mass transit that he had built for the people that he loved,鈥� Marcos said.
The President pointed out the need to resolve road right-of-way issues and disputes quickly so as not to hinder construction.