At the inauguration of new light rail transit (LRT-1) trains, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the government will keep pursuing public transportation projects in the country.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
Marcos cited his pronouncement in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) where he emphasized the integral role of infrastructure development such as the construction of agricultural roads and improvement of railways systems in the country's socio and economic progress.
"In line with this, I am one with the general public in eagerly anticipating the full operations of the LRT-1 Cavite extension for 2027," the President said during the inauguration ceremony held in Pasay City on Wednesday, July 19.
"I assure you that this administration will continue to pursue more public transportation projects that will improve our people’s mobility and interconnectivity as well as to enhance the quality of each Filipino," Marcos added.
He also invited everyone to join the government in building a modern, innovative, and prosperous Philippines.
The new trains, which will serve 1,388 passengers per trip, is part of the government's flagship project that aims to service up to 800,000 passengers a day and cut travel time from one hour and 10 minutes to 25 minutes.
In his speech, the Chief Executive thanked those who have been involved in the railway system project, and expressed hopes that "we can make this the new normal for transport systems in Manila and in the Philippines."
"It truly makes me proud to witness the steady realization of our vision of a more developed Philippines coming to a fruition through our new LRVs (light rail vehicles) which will be used in the existing LRT-1 system and on the LRT-1 extension to Cavite," Marcos said.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
The new trains were the first batch of 4th generation LRVs to arrive in the Philippines.
It was acquired with assistance from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with Mitsubishi Corporation as the implementing contractor.
These will be used for the LRT-1 train system, as well as for the LRT-1 Cavite expansion that is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
The undertaking forms part of the ‘Capacity Enhancement of Mass Transit Systems in Metro Manila Project’ which supports the expansion of both the LRT-1 and LRT-2, with the aim to improve the capacity of LRT lines in delivering safer, more reliable and punctual railway system to commuters in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The 4th generation LRVs feature destination signs to inform passengers of the direction of the train, either heading north or south.
While inside, the station driver has a modern design with a monitor showing the temperature inside each LRV. The LRVs are also persons with disabilities (PWD)-friendly with special areas for wheelchairs.
The planning and design of these LRVs for LRT-1 started in 2018. Spanish railway vehicle company, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) began the production of 30 train sets in Spain and Mexico in 2019 through a tender spearheaded by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).