Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1

LRT Line 1
LRT1
At Blumentritt station
Overview
Type	Rapid transit / Light rail
System	Manila Light Rail Transit System
Locale	Manila, Philippines
Termini	Roosevelt Baclaran
Stations	20[1]
Services	1[2]
Daily ridership	470,700 (2013 average) 658,627 (2012 record)[3]
Website	LRT-1, LRMC
Operation
Opened	December 1, 1984[4]
Owner	Light Rail Transit Authority
Operator(s)	Light Rail Manila Corporation
Rolling stock	BN and ACEC 1st Generation LRV Hyundai Precision and Adtranz 2nd Generation LRV Kinki Sharyo and Nippon Sharyo 3rd Generation LRV [5]
Technical
Track length	19.65 km (12.21 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	170 metres (558 ft) Mainline – 25 metres (82 ft) Depot[6]
Electrification	Overhead lines
Operating speed	40–60 km/h (25–37 mph)
Route map approved extension North Avenue  MRT3  Roosevelt Balintawak North Luzon Expressway Quezon City Caloocan Monumento 5th Avenue Caloocan Manila R. Papa Abad Santos Blumentritt  PNR  Tayuman Bambang Doroteo Jose  LRT2  Carriedo Pasig River Central Terminal United Nations Pedro Gil Quirino Vito Cruz Manila Pasay Gil Puyat Libertad EDSA  MRT3  Depot Baclaran Pasay Parañaque under construction Aseana Manila International Airport Asia World Ninoy Aquino Dr. Santos Parañaque Las Piñas Las Piñas Las Piñas Bacoor Zapote Niog

The Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 is the first metro line of the Manila Light Rail Transit System. Presently, the line contains twenty stations and runs on 19.65 kilometers (12.21 mi)^[7] of fully elevated route. The line is colored yellow (old) and green (new) on all LRT maps.

The line runs in a general north-south direction from Baclaran to Monumento; then, it runs in an east-west direction from Monumento to North Avenue, linking the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay, and Parañaque. Passengers can transfer to the Line 2 at Doroteo Jose station, while passengers can transfer to the Line 3 at EDSA and North Avenue stations.

The Line 1 was known for many names such as LRT Line 1, shortened to LRT-1, Yellow Line, Green Line (2012), or the Metrorail. However, the yellow color of the line dates back to its opening in 1984.

On September 12, 2015, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), a joint venture company of Metro Pacific's Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), Ayala Corporation’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL), started a 32-year concession for the operation and maintenance of LRT Line 1 and the construction of a PhP 65 billion extension project to Bacoor, Cavite.^[8]

History

• December 1, 1984: Baclaran to Central Terminal
• May 12, 1985: Carriedo to Monumento
• March 22, 2010: Balintawak
• October 22, 2010: Roosevelt

Technical specifications

• Name: Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1
• Concession holder: Light Rail Manila Corporation
• Operator: Light Rail Manila Corporation
• Length: 19.65 km + 11.7 km (Cavite Extension)
• Concession starting date: 2014
• Concession ending date: 2047
• Stations: 20 + 8 (Cavite extension)

Route

The old Main Line Route Map inside a 2nd generation LRV

The Updated Main Line Route inside a 3rd Generation LRV along with other interchange from LRT Line 2 and MRT Line 3.

The Line 1 is predominantly aligned to the path of Taft Avenue (Radial Road 2), which was chosen largely due to its straight length. Later on, as Taft Avenue ends, it shifts to Rizal Avenue and Rizal Avenue Extension (Radial Road 9) then turning right at EDSA or Circumferential Road 4 (C-4 Road) before ending at the corner of North and West Avenues and EDSA.

Stations

A first generation LRV approaching Carriedo station.

The Balintawak station in Quezon City.

Central Terminal station

Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 serves 20 stations along its route (a twenty-first station is planned):^[9]

Rolling stock

The LRT Line 1 at various stages in its history has used a two-car, three-car, and four-car trainsets. The two-car trains are the original first-generation BN and ACEC trains (railway cars numbered from 1000). Most were transformed into three-car trains, although some two-car trains remain in service. The four-car trains are the more modern second-generation Hyundai Precision and Adtranz (numbered from 1100) and third-generation Kinki Sharyo / Nippon Sharyo (1200) trains.^[10][11] There are 139 railway cars grouped into 40 trains serving the line: 63 of these are first-generation cars, 28 second-generation, and 48 third-generation. One train car (1037) was severely damaged in the Rizal Day bombings and was subsequently decommissioned.^[12][13] The maximum speed of these cars is 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph).^[14][15]

The LRT Line 1 fleet is being modernized to cope with increasing numbers of passengers. In the initial phase of its capacity expansion program completed in 1999, the line's seven four-car second-generation trains were commissioned providing an increased train capacity of 1,350 passengers while the original two-car trains capable of holding 748 passengers were transformed into three-car trains with room for 1,122.^[10]

The acquisition marked the introduction of the first air-conditioned trains to the line. Earlier LRT Line 1 rolling stock was notorious for its lack of air conditioning, relying instead on forced-air roof ventilation for cooling.^[16] Unfortunately, this resulted in hot and stuffy rides. The problem was addressed more fully after a preparatory rehabilitation program completed in 2001 allowed the installation of air conditioners to the older rolling stock.^[17] By June 2004, all Yellow Line trains had air conditioning.^[18][19]

As part of the second phase of expansion on the Yellow Line, 12 new trains made in Japan by Kinki Sharyo and provided by the Manila Tren Consortium were shipped in the third quarter of 2006 and went into service in the first quarter of 2007. The new air-conditioned trains have boosted the capacity of the line from 27,000 to 40,000 passengers per hour per direction.^[11][20][21]

Rolling stock	First-generation	Second-generation	Third-generation
Image
Year	1984	1999	2007
Manufacturer	BN Constructions Ferroviaires et Métalliques / SA Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi	Hyundai Precision / Adtranz	Kinki Sharyo / Nippon Sharyo
Model	1000 Series	1100 series	1200 series
Number Built (cars)	64 built; 43 in service 15 out of service 6 decommissioned	28 built; 8 in service 20 out of service	48 built; 44 in service 4 out of service
Car type	8-axle (4 bogie) rigid body	6-axle (3 bogie) rigid body
Length	29280 mm	26500 mm (MC car w/ coupler) 26350 mm (M Car w/anti-climber/semi permanent coupler)
Width	2500 mm	2590 mm
Height(From top of rail)	3525 mm	3740 mm	3910 mm
Configuration	MC-MC 59590 mm (2-car) 89370 mm MC-MC-MC (3-car)	MC-M-M-MC 105700 mm (4 car) MC-M-MC 79350 mm (3 car) MC-MC 53000 mm (2 car)
Articulation	Double	Single
Capacity	748-1,122 passengers (81 seated, 293 standing)	1,358 passengers (320 seated 1038 standing)	1,388 passengers (272 seated 1116 standing @ 7 passengers m^2)
Doors	1400 mm wide; Plug-type; 5-doors/side	1500 mm wide x 1900 mm high ; Interior sliding type; 4-doors/side
Traction system	DC 218 Kw Chopper Type x 1	AC 125 kW VVVF Type with regeneration x 2	AC 105 kW VVVF Control with regeneration x 2
Traction power	750 V DC OCS; pantograph power connection
Body Material	BI sheet	Stainless steel
Ventilation	Forced ventilation (pre–refurbishment); 12 units/car Air-conditioned; roof-mounted duct type; 5 units/car (refurbished)	Air-conditioned; roof-mounted duct type; 2 units/car
Status	Refurbished from 2003 to 2004; In Service	In Service

^[10][19][22]

Plans

South Extension Phase 1 (LRT-1 Extension)

A south extension of Line 1, also known as the South Extension Project in the Metro Manila Rail Plans has been proposed and would aim to serve the areas of Parañaque to Cavite. Such an extension would take Quirino Avenue (Road from Parañaque to Bacoor) then would travel on the side of Seaside Drive to the Coastal Road, and from there would travel down the side of Kabihasnan street to Quirino Avenue (again) to its extension, General Emilio Aguinaldo Avenue from the Las Pinas-Bacoor Boundary of Zapote Bridge to Niog. The extension would add 8 stations over some 11.7 kilometers (7.3 mi) of new line and would be the second rail line extending outside the Metro Manila area (after the planned MRT-7 line).

An unsolicited bid to conduct this work from Canada's SNC-Lavalin was rejected by the Philippine government in 2005. In 2006, the government worked with advisers (International Finance Corporation, White & Case, Halcrow and others) to conduct an open-market invitation to tender for the extension and for a 30-year concession to run the extended LRT-1 line. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo subsequently withdrew the project.

The South Extension Project will be done in phases: Phase 1 will start from Baclaran to Dr. A. Santos Avenue and Phase 2 will start from Dr. A. Santos Avenue to Niog.

The following stations would proposed to compose the South Extension:

• Redemptorist Station – Parañaque
• Manila International Airport Station – Parañaque
• Asia World Station – Parañaque
• Ninoy Aquino Station – Parañaque
• Dr. A. Santos Station – Parañaque
• Las Piñas Station – Las Piñas
• Zapote Station – along the boundaries of Bacoor and Las Piñas
• Niog Station – Bacoor

The line would be extended from Parañaque southwards, connecting Las Piñas and Bacoor to the LRT network.

On May 4, 2017, groundbreaking of the LRT-1 Southern Extension are held, and the project is expected to be finished by 2021. Department of Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade projected the early completion of the project to be by 2020.^[23][24]

South Extension Phase 2 (LRT-6)

Another extension of the LRT-1 in Cavite has been proposed. It will be extended by another 19 kilometres (12 mi) from Bacoor to Dasmariñas with a right-of-way alignment along Aguinaldo Highway. This public-private partnership project dubbed as LRT-6 would have 7 additional stations in Cavite.

The 7 stations of the proposed South Extension Phase 2 are composed of:

• Niog Station – Bacoor
• Tirona Station – Bacoor
• Imus Station – Imus
• Daang Hari Station – Imus
• Salitran Station – Dasmariñas
• Congressional Avenue Station – Dasmariñas
• Governor's Drive Station – Dasmariñas

Incidents and accidents

Terrorism

Rizal Day bombings

On Rizal Day, a Yellow Line train (Car number 1037) exploded near Blumentritt station as part of a series of explosions in a terrorist attack known as the Rizal Day bombings. The attack on the LRT killed some 22 people and injured hundreds. Eight members of both Jemaah Islamiyah and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which include Hambal, Asia's most wanted man, and Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi, were charged with plotting and masterminding the attacks in 2003, some three years after the attacks. Three suspects were put on trial,^[25][26] with al-Ghozi receiving 17 years in prison due to the illegal possession of explosives. Al-Ghozi later died in a firefight after attempting to escape from prison. Car number 1037 is currently decommissioned, but there are plans to reconstruct it.

Suicides and births

LRT Line 1 also witnessed several cases of suicides and suicide attempts, including one case involving a fisherman, who soon died, a 41-year-old woman, who survived, and a man, who jumped from the 26th floor of a condominium building and was subsequently crushed by a southbound LRT train.^{[27][28][29][30]} The line also witnessed births involving women who were heading towards hospitals accessible through the LRT, and the first case recorded occurred on May 5, 2005, involving a woman named Lea Aquino Ababa, from Pasay.^[31][32]

Fires

Fires, mostly occurring near the line, also caused service disruptions on the LRT Line 1 on several instances.

• Train operations from Central Terminal to Baclaran were temporarily suspended after a fire in a residential area in Pasay City forced the suspension of operations due to the proximity of one of the burning buildings to Libertad station. Operations from Central Terminal to Monumento still operated as scheduled. Full service was restored after the fire was controlled.^[33]
• Train operations to and from Baclaran were suspended because of a fire at the Baclaran Galleria shopping mall that started at around 5:00 am. Until noontime the fire was still spreading to nearby establishments, and flames even started to encroach entrance of the station. Earlier the station had to be closed because of the thick smoke coming from the fire.^[34]
• Train operations were limited from Monumento to Gil Puyat when fire broke out in a 4-story Puregold commercial building beside Libertad station at around 2:00 am. Normal operations resumed in the afternoon after the fire was controlled.^[35]

See also

References

External links

• The LRT Line 1 System
• Light Rail Manila Corporation