THE SECOND- and third-phase construction of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite extension may begin by 2026 amid right-of-way acquisition issues, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said.
“There are certain utility relocations that need to be done; it is already more than 80% complete, our right-of-way for the [combined] segment two and three. It is just the relocation of utilities and a few lots,” Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Jeremy S. Regino told reporters last week.
The challenge right now is the pole relocation efforts, Mr. Regino said, adding that it may take a while.
“Meralco (Manila Electric Co.) is doing its best; they look at themselves as equal stakeholders. They are very cooperative in helping us relocate utilities,” he said.
With this, the DoTr said it expects to complete the transfer of the right-of-way by the end of next year, paving the way for construction to begin by 2026, Mr. Regino said.
In March, Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the operator of the LRT-1, said it was on track to launch the first phase of the Cavite extension by the end of the year after reaching 97% completion.
Last week, LRMC announced that it would temporarily halt LRT-1 operations for three weekends: Aug. 17-18, Aug. 24-25, and Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.
This move aims to expedite the opening of the first phase of the LRT-1 Cavite extension, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension Phase 1 is expected to serve about 600,000 passengers daily.
The first phase will add a total of 6.2 kilometers to the line, connecting Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City, while the Cavite portion, or phases two and three, will cover the Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog stations.
LRMC is the joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd. Metro Pacific Light Rail is a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT Inc. and Philex Mining Corp.
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