The Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC)) on Wednesday deployed a brand new Generation-4 train sets at the LRT Line 1 system forming part of the bid to deliver a modern, efficient, and world-class railway transport system in the country
The inauguration, led by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, signals the readiness of the line in putting brand new trains into commercial operations after a successful series of safety checks, inspections, trial runs and acceptance tests were conducted since the first train set arrived last January 2021 from Spain and Mexico.
The new train sets were manufactured by Mitsubishi Corp. and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrorcarriles (CAF) of Spain.
Adding to the existing third generation trains running along LRT-1, the Gen-4 train has total capacity of 1,388 passengers per trip on four light rail vehicles (LRVs) or coaches per set.
“The LRMC has remained steadfast in upgrading the commuter experience and committed to our mission of delivering safe and efficient transport since we took over the operations in 2015. Today marks another significant milestone in modernizing our train infrastructure with the inauguration of our first new Gen-4 train,” Juan F. Alfonso, LRMC president and chief executive, said.
“This is a testament of private-public partnership (PPP) successfully working for the Filipino people. Our brand-new trains signal hope and give our commuters something positive to look forward to in their next LRT-1 commute.”
Juan F. Alfonso, LRMC president and chief executive
Starting 20 July 2023, LRT-1 will deploy one Gen-4 train set at the main line to serve commuters daily.
The deployment will follow the progressive handover of DOT and 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 20 4th Generation train sets already in the Philippines, and the remaining 10 train sets are still expected to arrive from Mexico between November 2023 and February 2024. Complete deployment of the 30 train sets on the main line is expected by 04 2024 when the LT-1 Cavite Extension Project opens.
