LRT-1 to add 42 trips daily, extend operating hours starting June

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) on Wednesday said it is set to deploy additional trips on the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) with a new timetable aimed at reducing headways and cut waiting time for commuters along the 20-kilometer rail line.

In an emailed statement, LRMC President and CEO Rogelio Singson noted that the new timetable will increase the number of trips on weekdays by 8 percent from the current 512 to 554 trips daily.

"We proposed to grantors the effectivity will be on June 19, Monday. So we're just waiting for the government's approval," Singson said in a separate text message.

He noted that adding more trips will translate to shorter waiting time and lesser crowding on LRT-1 platforms.

Once the new timetable is approved, the extended operating hours of the LRT-1, which has been on dry run since August last year, will be made official.

"From 5:00 a.m., first trip from both Baclaran and Roosevelt Stations will be 4:30 a.m. Evening extended hours will also be official with the 10:00 p.m. last trip northbound from Baclaran and 10:15 p.m. last trip southbound from Roosevelt," Singson said.

He added that current schedule for holidays and weekends will remain the same.

“The extended hours is one innovation that has generated positive feedback from passengers. Customers have reported that this has made early morning and late night travel safer and more convenient for the night students and late shift workers," the LRMC chief said.

For the new timetable, LRMC will also be increasing the speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour to allow 60 kph along the LRT-1 north extension or the four-kilometer line from Monumento to Roosevelt Stations only.

Singson also noted that LRMC has achieved an average daily ridership of 443,000 for the first quarter of 2017, or a six percent year-on-year increase.

LRMC is the private concessionaire of LRT-1 — a joint venture among Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation, Ayala Corp.’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd —  which took over operations and maintenance in September 2015. — John Ted Cordero/MDM, GMA News