LRT-1 targets 450,000 daily passengers by end-2026

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), aims to surpass the average daily ridership of the railway system prior to the COVID-19 pandemic this year.

During the 10th anniversary celebration of LRMC’s takeover of LRT-1 on Thursday in Parañaque City, LRMC president Enrico Benipayo said the line’s average daily ridership has already gone back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Pre-COVID, we were around 440,000 all-day average. Now, it is already 440,000 daily ridership,” Benipayo said.

“Our target really is to end the year with hopefully around an average of 450,000 daily [ridership],” he said.

LRT-1 runs from the Fernando Poe Jr. (formerly Roosevelt) Station in Quezon City to Dr. Santos Station in Paranaque City.

In a news release, LRMC said it is reaffirming its commitment to the continuous development and modernization of the rail system as it marked its 10th year of operations.

The company said it has implemented critical upgrades, including station rehabilitations, the introduction of 4th Generation train sets, and the opening of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Phase 1. 

"We are taking everything we have learned over the past decade to ensure the continuous development of LRT-1," Benipayo said. 

LRMC said its approach to the next decade remains rooted in the public-private partnership (PPP) model, which has allowed for the continuous modernization of Southeast Asia's oldest rail line. —VBL, GMA Integrated News