LRT 1 tracks replacement program continues despite pending fare hike

The Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) on Wednesday said LRT Line 1 trains will start running faster at 60 kilometers per hour soon with its tracks replacement program.

"If you are a rider you will notice na if you are traveling on a track na na-replace na iyung rail, you have smoother ride, less vibration [and] less noise," Rudy Chansuyco, engineering director of the LRMC, said.

The tracks replacement started last April and LRMC targets to finish the project by September 2017. The project aims to allow trains to run faster from 40 kilometers per hour to 60 kilometers per hour.

Chansuyco said that even if the Department of Transportation (DOTr) fails to grant their request for a fare hike, they will finish the project as scheduled.

"With or without the fare increase, nandiyan na. Lahat ng mga plano naming improvement... commitment na natin na gagawin," he said.

The project includes the replacement of 21 kilometers of northbound tracks and five kilometers of southbound tracks from Baclaran to 5th Avenue stations.

The LRMC said it is asking a 10-percent increase in the current fare, which starts at P15 to P30. It said that under the concession agreement with the government, fares can be adjusted by 10 percent every two years.

The LRT Line 1's fares were last adjusted in January 2015. —with a report from Vonne Aquino/ALG/KG, GMA News