The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Thursday, Nov. 7, that the Phase 1 of the Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension will be operational starting this month.
The start of test runs for Phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension project (Photo from the Light Rail Manila Corporation)
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a Palace briefing that the partial opening of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension will be in the next two to three weeks.
“We are here to announce the partial opening of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 Extension — this is the Cavite Extension. We will open this line within the next maybe two to three weeks, this is within November,” he furthered.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) called it an “early Christmas gift” from the Marcos administration as the partial opening of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension will be the first railway project to be completed under President Marcos.
“We hope that this opening of the extension of Line 1 will help alleviate traffic as it will be able to support thousands of passengers, additional passengers taking LRT Line 1. And this will be our early Christmas gift to the residents of the area,” Bautista said.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension Phase 1 will connect Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City, and will reduce current travel time by 30 minutes.
The extension is also projected to serve an additional 80,000 passengers daily.
Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) General Manager Enrico Benipayo said Phase 1 will include five new stations.
“We are also very much excited to open the line. Again within this month, surely within the month of November we will be able to serve an extended area of the metropolis,” the official added.
The five additional stations—Redemptorist – Aseana Station, MIA Road Station, PITX Station, Ninoy Aquino Avenue Station, and Dr. Santos (formerly Sucat) Station—will allow people “to traverse the alignment within a span of less than an hour,” Benipayo shared.
“The total alignment of LRT 1 will be extended from 20 kilometers to 26 kilometers for Phase 1 of the Cavite Extension,” he added.
Phase 1 of the LRT 1 Cavite Extension aims to reduce travel time from Quezon City to Parañaque City to less than an hour.