The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), private operator of LRT-1, this Thursday, July 20, deployed the first set of its fourth generation (Gen-4) trains, worth over P12.8 billion, on its main line to serve commuters.
The deployment follows the progressive handover of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) to LRMC and the capacity requirement of the system, with one new Gen-4 train set added to the main line every week until December 2023.
Currently, there are twenty 4th Generation train sets already in the Philippines.
The remaining 10 train sets are still expected to arrive from Mexico between November 2023 and February 2024 according to LRMC.
The complete deployment of the 30 train sets on the main line is slated for Q4 2024, when the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project opens.
LRMC has conducted a series of safety checks, inspections, trial runs with minimum kilometers, and acceptance tests since the first Gen-4 train set arrived from Spain and Mexico last January, 2021.
The new train sets were manufactured by Mitsubishi Corporation and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrorcarriles (CAF) of Spain.
Adding to the existing three generations of train sets currently running along the main line of LRT-1, each state-of-the-art 4th Generation train set has a total capacity of 1,388 passengers per trip and four light rail vehicles (LRVs) or coaches per train set.
Measuring 106 meters in length and 2.59 meters in width, the train set has maximum design speeds of up to 70 kph.
Already, 80 LRVs have already been delivered and passed various tests.
The DOTr expects delivery of a total of 120 new LRVs that will form 30 train-sets at 4 LRVs per set.
Using a longer train set will increase ridership to 300,000 daily passengers up from the existing 280,000 a day.
The trains feature destination signs to inform passengers if they are heading north or south.
The driver station inside features a modern design, with a monitor that shows the temperature. The new train sets are also PWD-friendly with special areas for wheelchairs.
"Our brand-new trains signal hope and give our Filipino commuters something positive to look forward to in their next LRT-1 commute,” stated LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso.
"This is a testament of private-public partnership (PPP) successfully working for the Filipino people," he concluded.